BJP leaders detained for nearly 4 hours from outreach camps

Prominent BJP leaders of Jalandhar, including former MP Sushil Rinku and former MLAs KD Bhandari and Sarabjit Makkar, were detained by the police for nearly four hours from the venues of outreach camps that were organised by the party on Thursday.

This led to furore among party workers who slammed the Aam Aadmi Party government for its alleged high-handedness in stopping the saffron party's ongoing mega outreach programme ‘BJP de sewadar, aa gaye ne tuhade dwar’. They staged a dharna outside the office of Jalandhar Rural Police headquarters, demanding immediate release of the leaders.

AAP yesterday issued orders to stop the ongoing camps as the government claimed that private operators were being allowed to take data of villagers from these camps. But the BJP leaders alleged that government was feeling insecure after the villagers were welcoming the party with open arms and getting enrolled under 18 Central schemes in large numbers.

Ex-MLA KD Bhandari and Shahkot leader Rana Hardeep Singh were detained from Shahkot around 11 am while they were presiding over a camp being organised at the Roopewal village grain market. The gunman of the Bhandari intervened to ensure safety of the leader but the police team dragged both of them to their police vehicle.

"There already were about 125 women waiting to get on-the-spot registration with us to take Centre schemes, including Ayushman health insurance scheme, PM Kisan Samaan Niti, etc. About 18 Central schemes were being offered at the camps for the past four months. They also lifted computers from the camp and brought them to the police station. They snatched our phones, kept us on the move for about an hour after which they confined us at Bilga police station till 4:15 pm", said Bhandari.

At Guru Ravidas Temple in Khurdpur village of Adampur, ex-MP Sushil Rinku was attending to visitors when a police team landed around 12 noon. He too was detained with two other BJP workers till 3:15 pm.

"The villagers were welcoming our camps. They even organised langar for our teams. AAP leaders perhaps could not tolerate how we were making inroads into the rural belt and hence started using all such means and tactics to stall our campaign. But we shall not dither. Our camps will continue", he said.

In Punjab, about 90 camps are being organised on a daily basis for the past nearly four months. Garhshankar-based leader Nimisha Mehta was detained in her own office as she was set to leave for a camp that was to be organised at Basiala village.

"The camp was to be held at a private venue. But the police did not let us open the gates. I was still contacting the senior police officials for intervention from my own office, when DSP Jaspreet Singh came over and told me that I was under house arrest. For five hours, I was confined in my own office. We shall continue with our camps from tomorrow", she said.

BJP national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill termed the move AAP government's "undeclared emergency". The state government cannot stop the Punjabis from taking benefit of the Centre's schemes, he said. "It is a blatant display of murder of democracy, federalism and misuse of power", he wrote on his 'X' account.