SAD fears rigging, violence in ZP polls

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 18

Former minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Tuesday alleged that the Congress had let loose a reign of terror in constituencies of the Majha region by intimidating Block Samiti and Zila Parishad candidates.

He said there was every possibility of large scale rigging and violence on Wednesday.

In a press conference, Majithia, accompanied by former MLAs Virsa Singh Valtoha, Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Veer Singh Lopoke asked party workers to record all wrongdoings of the Congress so that SAD could take recourse to legal action.

Stating that Congress leader Sukhjinder Raj Singh Lalli Majithia and his nephew Akashdeep were behind the acts of violence and intimidation in Majitha constituency, Bikram alleged that their party candidates were stopped from campaigning and women candidates were being threatened that cases would be registered against their husbands if they showed much interest in the election process.

Majithia said despite these constraints, Akali workers would lead the fight against the Congress at the ground level and would not be cowed by such intimidating acts.

He said SAD had organised four public meetings as part of the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad elections in Majitha, which received overwhelming response from people of the constituency who had always stood with the party.

He claimed that the rebel AAP group of Sukhpal Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu had joined hands with the Congress and was actively supporting Congress candidates.

“The rebel group has not fielded its own candidates,” he said, adding that the AAP presence in the elections was negligible.

He alleged that officers were not being allowed to work and that interference by Congress leaders had resulted in a total breakdown of law and order in the state.

“The Rs 6-crore jewellery heist in Amritsar and murder of a police officer’s mother are recent examples of paralysis in governance,” he added.

Virsa Singh Valtoha said the nomination papers of a large number of SAD candidates had been rejected at both Khemkaran and Tarn Taran Block Samiti seats.

He added that at Khemkaran, nomination papers had been rejected for 34 out of 42 seats and in Tarn Taran, 16 out of 27 seats.

Won’t be cowed, says Majithia

• In a press conference, Majithia, accompanied by former MLAs Virsa Singh Valtoha, Harmeet Singh Sandhu and Veer Singh Lopoke asked party workers to record all wrongdoings of the Congress so that SAD could take recourse to legal action. 
• Majithia said despite these constraints, Akali workers would lead the fight against the Congress at the ground level and would not be cowed by such intimidating acts.