Bhagwant Mann's Banter With AAP's Raghav Chadha Over His Upcoming Wedding

Politics took a (brief) backseat Friday as Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a playful dig at Aam Aadmi Party colleague Raghav Chadha, who is to wed actor Parineeti Chopra later this month.

Mr Mann, at a meeting of industry leaders in Ludhiana, chuckled that Mr Chadha's "list of responsibilities" were about to expand. He encouraged everyone to applaud the Rajya Sabha MP and extended his congratulations to the to-be groom.

Mr Chadha later shared photos of the event - at which AAP boss and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was also present, but his comments stayed on point; "AAP government in Punjab, under leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, is actively working to create a pro-industry and pro-business environment in the state," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

He also shared a list of "10 key initiatives" by the Mann government and announcements specific for Amritsar and Jalandhar, including an Rs 210 crore Unity Mall project in the former and infrastructure investments worth Rs 50 crore in the latter.

Mr Chadha was in a more combative mood when discussing the political row triggered by Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's comments on Sanatan Dharm - remarks pounced upon by the Bharatiya Janata Party as it looks to break apart the opposition's INDIA alliance, of which both the AAP and Mr Stalin's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are members.

He condemned his ally's remark and called it a "small" statement. "Alliance was formed for raising big issues like price rise and unemployment... statement by some small leader, from a district in a state, is not the official stand of the alliance."

READ | "Some Small Leader": AAP's Raghav Chadha On DMK Leader's 'Sanatana' Remark

Mr Stalin is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and the grandson of the late former Chief Minister MK Karunanidhi, who is still seen as one of the state's biggest political leaders.

Raghav Chadha is expected to marry Ms Chopra at a private event in Rajasthan, to be attended by bigwigs from politics, Bollywood and beyond, according to a report by Hindustan Times.