category Regional, chandigarh, , tags Regional, chandigarh, , DW BUREAU Chandigarh Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar Wednesday said he is not going to be part of any drama as he is not a theatre artiste, calling Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann s challenge for an open debate a ploy to distract peoples attention from issues. Jakhar claimed that he was not running away from any debate but said he cannot crack jokes and does not know drama like Mann, who just wants to indulge in theatrics. The BJP leader said he would rather invite the chief minister to come to Abohar to hold the debate on river waters as the area was going to be hit if water was shared with Haryana through the SYL canal. Mann on Sunday challenged the BJP, Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal for an open debate on issues pertaining to the state on November 1, amid the opposition parties criticism over the issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) canal. The state government is learnt to have inquired about the Tagore Theatre here as the venue for the debate on November 1. Addressing the media here, Jakhar alleged that Mann s call for the debate with opposition leaders was a distraction and deception as the AAP government was facing criticism for diluting the state s stand on the SYL issue in the Supreme Court. On whether he will join the debate, the BJP leader said, Have you seen me playing any drama, any comedy Why will I go to Tagore Theatre I am not a theatre artiste. I have not done any comedy shows. Comedy shows take place at theatres. How can it be called an open debate, he asked. We do not run away from debates but we cannot crack jokes and we do not know drama, the BJP leader added. If the river water issue is to be discussed, I invite him to come to Abohar which will face an adverse impact if Punjab waters are shared with Haryana through the SYL, he said. Jakhar said a meaningful discussion can be held at the Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana. But Bhagwant Mann does not want to discuss, he chooses to do dramas through his old profession of comedy, he said in a swipe at the chief minister. Mann has no right to dictate the terms of the debate, Jakhar asserted, adding that it has to be a fair playground and let people participate in it . The BJP state president alleged that whenever any issue arises in the state, be it drugs, the death of youths due to drug overdose or illegal mining, the AAP-led government tries to divert people s attention. The people of Punjab gave a two-thirds majority to AAP and Mann is accountable to them, he said. (editor dailyworld.in)