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Atmosphere of fear in Punjab: Opposition leaders gun for Mann-led AAP govt
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and SAD leader Sukhbir Badal call for resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Mann and Punjab DGP; Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh dial Manoranjan Kalia
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There is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab, Opposition leaders said hours after the grenade blast outside the house of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Several leaders, such as BJP’s Punjab chief Sunil Jakhar, Union minister Ravneet Bittu, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal, state cabinet minister Mohinder Bhagat and Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, met Kalia at his residence after the attack.
Besides, Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, BJP’s national president JP Nadda and its organisation secretary BL Santosh rang up Kalia.
Jakhar demanded resignation of chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and state director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Addressing a press conference after visiting Kalia’s house, Jakhar, who was accompanied Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, said, “It is criminal negligence on the part of Punjab intelligence, DGP and CM, who is also the home minister of the state. The government must admit to its failure in maintaining law and order,” Jakhar said.
He said this was the “14th” grenade attack in the state since November last year. “I’ve never seen such intelligence failure in 23 years of active politics. The intelligence unit is left only to be used by the Punjab CM to gather inputs regarding the activities of opposition parties,” Jakhar said.
“Due to the callous attitude of the state authorities, Punjab has been witnessing West Bengal type of politics where bombs are hurled to muzzle the opposition’s voice,” Jakhar said.
Countering AAP allegations that it is the handiwork of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, Jakhar said the state AAP leaders are rubbing salt into the wounds of victims by making such statements. “He is the same Lawrence Bishnoi, who brazenly gave a TV interview while in the Punjab Police custody,” he added.
Union minister Ravneet Bittu said there is an atmosphere of fear in Punjab. “It is a targeted attack aimed at disrupting peace and communal harmony in the state. These anti-national elements have chosen one of the senior leaders of BJP and key Hindu face in Punjab politics. It is a planned conspiracy,” he said.
“Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has been busy wooing AAP leaders from Delhi, who have now come to loot Punjab after losing Delhi,” Bittu said.
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring posted on X. “The frequency and regularity of such blasts has increased. Punjab cannot afford yet another dark era.”
Former deputy chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “After attacks on police stations, places of worship and vandalism of statues of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, now the residence of a former minister and senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has been subjected to a grenade attack. The CM must take moral responsibility for these incidents and resign.”
AAP state president and cabinet minister Aman Arora said he had talked to Kalia over phone and assured that the accused would be arrested soon. “Such cowardly attacks are signs of panic among drug mafia and gangsters due to the daily crackdown on the drugs,” he said. Accusing Jakhar of politicising the issue, he said the BJP leader’s allegations against the state government and police were baseless. “Within 12 hours of the attack, the police arrested two culprits and initial investigation revealed that attack was mastermind by Zeeshan Akhtar. The police action underlines its professionalism and commitment to ensuring Punjab’s safety, he said.
After meeting Kalia, state minister Mohinder Bhagat said such grenade attacks are the handiwork of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is working in connivance with Pakistan.
“Bishnoi has been provided shelter in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail by the BJP. Lawrence’s relationship with Pakistan is already out in public,” he said.
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini raised questions about the law and order situation in Punjab. “It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure the safety of every citizen of its respective state but shockingly, the incidents of grenade attack have become routine in Punjab, which is quite worrisome,” said Saini.
BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said Union home minister Amit Shah called him to get minute details of the attack. “He has assured that all the required logistic support will be provided to the state police to unearth a terror nexus in Punjab,” Kalia said, adding that the central leadership briefed him that the central agencies have been alerted.
Meanwhile, North American Punjabi Association’s (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal said the escalating violence has created a climate of fear among the Punjabi diaspora worldwide. “The Punjabi diaspora is now reluctant to travel to Punjab due to legitimate concerns about personal safety,” he added.
