Everything To Know About Punjab's "Fake Beneficiaries" Dance Row On I-Day

A dance performance by five elderly men at Punjab’s state-level Independence Day function in Ferozepur has triggered a political row after claims that they were beneficiaries of a government health scheme were followed by a clarification that they were part of a symbolic representation.

The performance took place in the presence of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as part of a Health Department tableau showcasing the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY). Five elderly men took part in the performance and danced to ‘Beh ke dekh jawana babe bhangra paunde ne’. While opposition leaders alleged that the performers had been projected as patients who received knee-replacement treatment under the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana, Ferozepur civil surgeon Dr Meenakshi Dhingra later said the five performers were not scheme beneficiaries but were part of a symbolic representation intended to promote it.

The controversy began after a video of the performance circulated on social media. Tractor2TwitterPunjab, a social media handle, described the performance as “peak clownery in Punjab” and claimed that senior citizens who had received free knee-replacement treatment had been made to dance at the Independence Day celebrations.

The Times of India reported that sources identified the elderly performers as Health Department employees rather than patients who had undergone knee-replacement procedures. Under the MMSY, enrolled beneficiaries are eligible for treatment of up to Rs 10 lakh.

The allegation led to criticism from opposition leaders. Congress MLA Pargat Singh, reacting to an AAP Punjab post, said, “The elderly men shown dancing in the tableau before the CM Bhagwant Mann were Health Department employees, not patients.” He added, “Elderly people deserve dignity—not political exploitation.”

Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring demanded an apology from Mann, alleging that the government had misled the public by presenting the dancers as beneficiaries of a health insurance scheme who had undergone knee-replacement surgery. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also criticised the AAP government, alleging that people who had never undergone knee-replacement surgery were made to dance and projected as beneficiaries who had undergone the procedure, The Times of India reported.

The Aam Aadmi Party defended the performance. Speaking to The Times of India, AAP’s Ferozepur Urban MLA Ranbir Singh Bhullar said those involved had benefited from the state government scheme and were expressing their happiness in the presence of the chief minister. He denied that they had been made to dance to promote the scheme as a major achievement. His claim differed from the subsequent clarification by the Ferozepur civil surgeon.

AAP Punjab in-charge and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia also rejected the opposition’s allegations, saying opposition leaders should focus on issues within their own parties.

A subsequent clarification from Ferozepur civil surgeon Dr Meenakshi Dhingra, reported by The Times of India, clarified that the performers were not MMSY beneficiaries. Dhingra said the five people who took part in the performance were not beneficiaries of the Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana. She said they were part of a symbolic representation intended to promote the scheme and encourage people to avail themselves of its benefits. She also denied that anyone had been forced to dance.

Dhingra did not disclose the identities of the performers and did not directly answer whether the five were Health Department employees.

According to Dhingra, the five performers were not MMSY beneficiaries. India Today later reported that the five men were retired Health Department employees.