Chandigarh: Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated that chief minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled to return from France late Monday evening, refuting speculation that he had cut short his foreign visit.Replying to a question, Cheema told media that Mann had informed him prior to his departure that he would return on the night of Oct 19 as planned. An official added that Mann will arrive in Delhi around midnight and would reach Chandigarh on Tuesday morning.Mann was in France to attend SIAL Paris 2026—an international food trade exhibition featuring a state stall by Marked.After Union Ministry of External Affairs initially denied political clearance for the tour, the Punjab govt challenged the decision in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which cleared Mann’s travel on Oct 16.
