Dhaliwal condemns FIR against Bajwa, accuses CM Mann of misusing power

Phagwara MLA and Kapurthala District Congress Committee president Balwinder Singh Dhaliwal on Monday strongly condemned the FIR registered against Punjab Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa. He accused Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of openly misusing the state machinery to serve his political interests.

Addressing mediapersons, Dhaliwal said, “Drunk on power, CM Bhagwant Mann is using government institutions to intimidate the opposition instead of responding to valid concerns about Punjab’s worsening law and order.” He referred to recent grenade attacks on police stations and homes of political figures, raising questions about the government’s failure to address serious security breaches.

Criticising the FIR against Bajwa, Dhaliwal said instead of engaging with the Congress party’s questions on public safety, the Chief Minister was resorting to intimidation. He described Mann’s public comments on the issue as “highly objectionable and disgraceful,” warning such tactics would provoke a strong political reaction from the people of the state.

“The government cannot suppress the voice of the opposition through pressure tactics,” Dhaliwal added. “The Chief Minister should have taken Bajwa’s concerns about security threats seriously. Instead, the state police are being used to target critics.”

Reaffirming the party’s support for Bajwa, Dhaliwal said the Congress stood united against what he termed the “authoritarian behaviour” of the Aam Aadmi Party-led government. He claimed, “The AAP government will not survive even two more years. The Congress is fully prepared to counter the misgovernance and repression of the ‘broom-wielding’ regime.”

He also issued a stern warning to senior Punjab Police officials, cautioning them against acting under political pressure. “Any unjust actions taken today could lead to future accountability once the Congress returns to power,” he concluded.