AAP converted Punjab into a police state: Cong leader

Chandigarh, Sep 29 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in Punjab, Partap Singh Bajwa, on Friday slammed the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government for converting Punjab into an absolute police state, where the voices of dissent were being strangulated mercilessly.

"In sheer violation of the democratic rights of public representatives, the CIA staff Fazilka did not allow a delegate of senior Congress leadership to meet arrested Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira," said Bajwa. 

"The AAP government has stooped to an all-time low and now resorted to petty vendetta politics. The Punjab Congress will not be cowed down by such pressure tactics." 

Congress leader Bajwa said Khaira has always raised its voice against the misdeeds and anti-people policies of the AAP government. 

Most recently in an 'X' post, he put the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha in the docks. 

He sought clarification from Chadha about how he managed to gift a four-carat diamond ring (a costly one) for his wife Parineeti Chopra as his income according to 2020-21 income tax return is just 2.44 lakh. 

"This is what seems to have irritated the AAP government the most. Instead of being accountable, the AAP government attempted to suppress his voice in the harshest manner, which the Punjab Congress will not tolerate," Bajwa added. 

He said two Kapurthala-based brothers recently committed suicide after allegedly being humiliated by a Jalandhar SHO, Navdeep Singh. 

The AAP gave the accused SHO enough time to escape. Now the government has still not managed to arrest him. In the Muktsar lawyer's assault and humiliation case, the AAP government only went to action after the lawyer fraternity mounted pressure on the government, he said. 

"The protesting teachers and the farmers have already faced the wrath of Punjab Police under the 18-month AAP regime. Women teachers were manhandled by male police personnel. A few weeks back, the police badly beat up the peacefully protesting farmers. An old-age farmer, Pritam Singh (70), from Sangrur succumbed to the unruly behavior of the police," Bajwa said. 

Taking a dig at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for being hypocritical, Bajwa said he otherwise pretended to be the admirer of Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh and hanged his photograph in his office yet he did not meet the Sarpanch of the village Khatkar Kalan, who wanted raise some demands relating to the memorial of the martyr.