Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot will begin a five-day yatra across the state on Friday to meet families of gang violence victims and highlight their demand for justice.
Pilot will visit 11 of the state’s 23 districts — Moga, Bathinda, Mansa, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar – to hear the accounts of the affected families and raise questions over the police response, arrests and progress in cases linked to organised gangs, according to a party statement.
The move comes amid outrage over the daylight killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh alias Jhota in Mansa on Tuesday.
“Many of these killings have been claimed by or linked to organised gangs. Several families have waited months, and some years, for arrests, chargesheets or a fair trial” the statement said, adding that the purpose of the yatra is to give these families a voice.
“ The Congress will carry their demand for justice to the public, to the state government and, if needed, to the courts,” the release said.
The Congress had appointed Pilot on September 5, replacing former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, to quell the infighting within the Punjab unit and bring factions together ahead of the assembly polls due early next year. On October 2, the party appointed Jalandhar Cantonment MLA and former India hockey captain Pargat Singh as the new state president, replacing Amarinder Singh Raja Warring.
‘Will form next govt in Punjab’
{{/usCountry}}‘Will form next govt in Punjab’
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, in an interview with PTI, Pilot asserted that the party would form the next government in the state, saying that people are looking for a change and a “strong team” is in place under Pargat Singh.
“Punjab has seen Akali Dal-BJP and AAP governments over the years, but it was the Congress that actually fought terrorism, got development done and brought in investments to the state,” Pilot said. Hailing Pargat Singh as a “unifying captain”, Pilot said the former India hockey team skipper had reached out to almost all state leaders, and everyone has supported him on record. Pilot also met Congress MP and former Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring in Delhi, and the two discussed issues related to Punjab.
People feeling unsafe: Pargat
Meanwhile, Pargat Singh, criticised the state government over extortion threats, incidents of firing and growing concerns over criminal activity in Punjab.
He said that after four-and-a-half years of AAP rule, the deteriorating law and order situation has left people in Punjab feeling unsafe. “Traders and ordinary citizens are increasingly worried about their security, with businessmen allegedly being targeted with gunfire when they refuse to pay extortion money. But, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, continues to remain a silent spectator,” state Congress chief alleged, referring to Thursday’s shooting incident involving a cloth merchant in Amritsar. The trader, Vishal, was gravely injured in the firing.
“Every trader and small business owner in Punjab deserves a safe and secure environment, not an inefficient government and a system of governance imposed from Delhi,” he said.