A murderous attack on its leader has forced the Rashtriya Swaymsewak Sangh (RSS) to ask the Punjab BJP to convey its concern to the government and stop defending it on law and order.
During a meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party leader at the RSS state headquarters here before the BJP’s core-group meeting, the RSS leaders led by its north area organisational secretary, Prem Kumar, said many right-wing and religious leaders had been attacked of late and the attackers remained untraced.
“RSS leaders were not attacked like this even during militancy in Punjab. We see an attempt to revive terrorism,” an RSS leader said in the meeting. From the BJP, state party president Vijay Sampla, national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna, former minister Manoranjan Kalia, and former state president Kamal Sharma attended the meeting. Five most senior leaders represented the Punjab RSS. Police were criticised over the lack of breakthroughs in high-profile criminal cases. “No need to defend the government on the law-and-order situation,” said an RSS leader. The BJP core committee of Punjab decided to meet chief minister Parkash Singh Badal to convey the resentment of the right-wing parties. “We can’t see Punjab turn an open field for anti-national elements,” said Sampla.
He said the BJP core committee led by state party affairs incharge Parbhat Jha had taken strong exception to security failure. A member said the core committee had also condemned police for late response to the attack. Even when Jagdish Gagneja had been shifted to a second hospital, they were not yet on the scene of crime. It took Kalia to call up the DGP go get them into action.
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