CHANDIGARH: Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday accused the Aam Aadmi Party-led government of converting Punjab into a "police state," where the voices of dissent were being strangulated "mercilessly."
"In sheer violation of the democratic rights of public representatives, the CIA staff Fazilka didn't allow a delegate of senior Congress leadership to meet arrested Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. The AAP government has stooped to an all-time low and is now resorting to petty vendetta politics. The Punjab Congress will not be cowed down by such pressure tactics," Bajwa added.
The senior Congress Leader said that Khaira has always raised his voice against the misdeeds and anti-people policies of the AAP government. Most recently in an X post (formerly known as Twitter), he had put AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha in the docks over his lavish wedding.
"This is what seems to have irritated the AAP government the most. Instead of being accountable, the AAP government attempted to suppress his voice in the harshest manner, which the Punjab Congress will not tolerate," Bajwa added.
The opposition leader also pointed out that two Kapurthala-based brothers recently committed suicide after allegedly being humiliated by a Jalandhar police official, but the AAP gave the accused SHO enough time to escape.
"Now the government has still not managed to arrest him. In the Mukatsar lawyer assault and humiliation case, the AAP government only went to action after the lawyer fraternity mounted pressure on the government. The protesting teachers and the farmers have already faced the wrath of the Punjab police under the 18-month AAP regime. Female teachers were manhandled by male police personnel. A few weeks back, the police beat up the peacefully protesting farmers. An old-age farmer, Pritam Singh (70) from Sangrur succumbed to the unruly behaviour of the police," Bajwa added.
Accusing the Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann of being a hypocrite, Bajwa said that the Punjab CM otherwise pretended to be the admirer of Bhagat Singh and hanged his photograph in his office, yet he did not meet the sarpanch of the village Khatkar Kalan, who wanted to raise some demands relating to the memorial of the martyr.
