Sukhbir Singh Badal, the chief of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), criticized Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for blaming IAS officers for the decision to dissolve all gram panchayats in the state. Badal accused Mann of acting like a coward and making the officers scapegoats, claiming that the decision was initiated and signed by Mann himself. He demanded the resignation of the chief minister and the dismissal of the Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar. The Punjab government had earlier withdrawn the notification dissolving the panchayats and suspended two IAS officers.