Manoranjan Kalia comes in Partap Bajwa's support

Post the registration of an FIR by the Punjab Police against Leader of the Opposition Partap Bajwa yesterday over his statement that 50 bombs had reached Punjab, senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia too has come in his support.

While the Congress leadership has already been backing Bajwa, the support by the BJP leadership has come as a big boost for him. Kalia, on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti on Monday, said, "It was wrong on the part of the government to make politicians accountable for any information that they are sharing. By that means even AAP minister Mohinder Bhagat should also be inquired for he too had information regarding the alleged involvement of Lawrence Bishnoi and Shehzad Bhatti even before the police were to make the revelation into the bomb blast case at my place".

Kalia also mocked at Bhagat for using the suffix 'ji' and giving respect to terrorist Bishnoi while issuing statement to the media on Tuesday last. "We cannot have different parameters for different leaders. If Bajwa has been booked, action should be initiated against Bhagat too." As Kalia said this, he was accompanied by other party leaders, including Sarabjit Makkar, Avinash Chander and Sushil Sharma.

District Congress president (urban) Hardev S Laddi Sherowalia too held a protest with Congress workers and halqa in-charge Nakodar Dr Navjot Dahiya in support of Bajwa. They burnt the effigy of the state government and alleged that the Punjab Police were working in an irresponsible manner.

Jalandhar Cantt Congress MLA Pargat Singh too said, "It is completely wrong to book Bajwa in the case. What he has said has already appeared in newspapers. He could be having some additional information through his own sources."

He drew similarity between the FIR lodged against Bajwa as akin to the 'Operation Lotus' FIR that was lodged on the complaint of ex-MLA of Jalandhar West Sheetal Angural. "The complaint in that case had been lodged after the ex-MLA had given statement in the police headquarters. There is no seriousness in the working of this statement", he said. District Congress Committee chief (urban) Rajinder Beri had led the Congress delegation for Ambedkar Jayanti programme.