The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has called meetings at Chandigarh and Amritsar to finalise preparations for the four dharnas being organised by it along the international border to "pressurise the Border Security Force (BSF) to stop drugs from entering Punjab territory from Pakistan."
Party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said a meeting of 14 district units would be held at 11am on Tuesday at the party office here. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal will preside over the meeting.
A separate meeting of eight district units of Doaba and Majha areas, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot has been called for December 31 at Amritsar at 2pm. This meeting will also be addressed by SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal.
Meanwhile, Dr Cheema said the party cadre had been assigned duties for the four dharnas at Attari (Amritsar), Hussainiwala, Sadki and Gurdaspur.
Congress slams SAD move
Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar has slammed the SAD for its plan to hold protest dharnas against the Border Security Force (BSF), saying that this move would affect the BSF's determination.
The CLP leader said the youth of Punjab had not been affected by drugs supplied from across the border. He added that the youth of Punjab were in the grip of synthetic drugs, in the racket of which SAD ministers had been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
{{/usCountry}}The CLP leader said the youth of Punjab had not been affected by drugs supplied from across the border. He added that the youth of Punjab were in the grip of synthetic drugs, in the racket of which SAD ministers had been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa said deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal's decision to hold dharnas on the sensitive international border with Pakistan would lead to public disorder and incite violence at the already tense spot. He said the SAD move was actually "a dharna against the BJP-ruled central government."
"The President, being commander-in-chief of the armed forces, should immediately dismiss the SAD-BJP government.
President's rule under Article 356 of the Constitution must be imposed and Sukhbir Badal must be charged under Section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for making seditious statements as the entire motive of this move is to incite violence," Bajwa said in a statement.