Cong factions ‘unite’ to target govt

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 18

The Punjab Congress is finally united … in hitting out at the Akali-BJP government, if not otherwise! Though both warring camps in the state unit of the party seem to be exercising restraint, at least for now, in trading barbs with each other, the two camps — one led by Punjab Congress chief Partap Bajwa and the other owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh — have hit out at the state government for the worsening law and order situation and jails being used as breeding grounds for anti-social elements. They also targeted the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for failing to mitigate miseries of farmers.

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Bajwa and leader of the Congress legislature party Sunil Jakhar (a close confidant of Amarinder), today attacked the government over a series of incidents that highlighted the poor law and order situation in the state.

Bajwa attacked the government for turning state’s jails into breeding grounds for anti-social elements. Referring to the incident of gang war that broke out in the Bathinda jail earlier this week and the incident in Patti jail, where a murder accused arranged for an “entertainment programme” for inmates by engaging a troupe of dancers, Bajwa said such violations in the jails were possible only under political patronage by the government.

Stating that the decision of posting officials in jails rested with Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Home Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, he demanded resignations of Sukhbir and Jails Minister Sohan Singh Thandal.

“The duo should resign. Without the connivance of jail authorities, it is impossible that weapons can be smuggled in. Criminals like Kulbir Naruana, who was inducted into the Akali Dal in April last year, in the presence of Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, could not have received a pistol inside the jail unless top leaders of the ruling government were not behind it. In Patti, Sarwan Singh, an Akali worker, accused of murdering a Congress worker in 2013, has so much influence over the jail authorities that he could organise such a programme there. Our fear is that the ruling alliance is putting its “goons” in jails for protecting them and the Akalis may use them to eliminate leaders of Opposition parties before the 2017 Assembly elections,” he said.

Sunil Jakhar tore in to the “pro-farmer” image that the Akalis have built for themselves. Though the Centre was releasing money under the State Disaster Response Fund each year, the state government did not release it to farmers whose crops were damaged in rains, Jakhar said.

“Last year, the SDRF received Rs 270.96 crore, with the state contributing just Rs 67 crore and the remaining Rs 203 crore coming from the Centre. We don’t know where that money went,” he said.

Flanked by MLAs Sukhjinder Randhawa, Jagmohan Singh Kang and Balbir Singh Sidhu, Jakhar said they would again stage a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence on April 28, demanding release of compensation to farmers.

SAD rubbishes Bajwa's demand
Reacting to Partap Bajwa's demand for seeking resignation of Sukhbir Badal, Mahesh Inder Grewal, political adviser to the Chief Minister, said this was a sign of Bajwa's frustration. "He should resign himself, as most of his party MLAs want. Akalis have been the ones fighting to maintain peace, while the Congress has instilled communal tension in the state," he said.