SAD asks people to reject Congress govt for failing to controll law and order in Punjab

Chandigarh, April 6 – The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today urged the people to reject the Congress government for failing to control law and order in Punjab, even as it condemned it for the spate of recent targeted killings. 

“No one is safe in Punjab. The State is witnessing a complete breakdown in the law and order because the Congress government is unable to rein in its goons, said party senior vice president Dr Daljit Singh Cheema. 

Stating that the Congress government was paying a heavy price for not acting against its own workers who started political killings immediately after the party came into power, Dr Cheema said recent killings including that of a Hindu Shiv Sena leader and an Akali sarpanch indicated that law of jungle was prevailing in the State. “Even Dalits who had voted for the SAD were not spared with many being thrashed and one being even sensationally stripped. All this created an impression that anything goes and anti-social elements took advantage of this and started a spate of robberies and dacoities. This has led to spate of snatching and petty thefts also”, he added. 

The Akali leader said this state of affairs had led to sensational killings of two Hindu right wing leaders Ravinder Gosain and Vipan Sharma in Ludhiana and Amritsar earlier and a Christian Pastor Sultan Masih. There is fear psychosis in the people and the family of Ravinder Kochar of Jaitu, who was killed by gangsters after he refused to pay extortion money, had even left the State after selling off their property”.

Dr Cheema said anti-national elements had even started attacks against various communities besides resorting to sacrilege of religious Granths to provoke hatred and spoil the completely peaceful atmosphere created under the stewardship of Parkash Singh Badal’s leadership during the ten years of SAD-BJP tenure.

Asking the government to take appropriate steps, the SAD leader said if this was not done the State could slip back into turmoil. He also asked the government to first take strong action against the goondas of the Congress party and then take steps to rein in anti social elements.