Capt government filing false cases against AAP leaders: Harpal Singh Cheema

Ludhiana/Jagraon: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a dharna in front of the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jagraon, against the FIR registered by the police against AAP's senior leader and deputy Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke and the party volunteers. The protest was joined by Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Harpal Singh Cheema, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke, MLA and Kisan Wing president Kultar Singh Sandhwan, MLA and Youth Wing president Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, MLAs Jagtar Singh Jagga Hissowal, Amarjeet Singh Sandoya and Baldev Singh Jaito, besides joint secretary Malwa east Amandeep Singh Mohi, Ludhiana district president Suresh Goyal, Ludhiana district secretary Sharan Pal Singh Makkar, along with large number of party volunteers. On the occasion, the leaders said that in the municipal bodies' elections, the ruling party Congress had used every possible means to loot the elections by undermining the values of democracy.

The leaders said that in the Jagraon council elections, when deputy Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Sarabjit Kaur Manuke saw the ways to influence the electoral process, she opposed it. They said that it was surprising that the dates of EVMs did not match, they were different. "In some machines, the Congress candidates were declared the winners and the seals of some machines were also tampered with. When a recount was demanded in this regard, the SDM, who was the returning officer on the spot, did not consider it appropriate to conduct a recount under the pressure of the government," they added. They said that later on the spot, deputy leader of opposition Sarabjit Kaur Manuke was forced to block the highway with the party volunteers and demanded from the administration to recount the votes.

They said that instead of the administration conducting recounts of the votes, the police registered a case against MLA Sarabjit Kaur Manuke and her associates. The AAP leaders said that the democratically elected Punjab government of Captain Amarinder Singh was becoming more and more dictatorial like Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at the centre. They said that in the local bodies' elections, the Congress goons had carried out violent incidents at many places but no action had been taken against them. The leaders further said that at about 200 places in Punjab, vandalism and booth capturing was done, but re-elections were conducted at only 5 booths. They said that when the Aam Aadmi Party leaders and volunteers protested against the hooliganism carried out with the help of the Congress government, on the contrary, a case was registered against them.

The AAP leaders said that the ruling Congress party to loot the elections, prevented the candidates from filing the nomination papers, ranging from incidents of abduction to capturing booths by hooliganism. "The Congress used every possible means to win the elections and destroy democracy. Such incidents were brought to the notice of the State Election Commission and other concerned officials by the Aam Aadmi Party but no action was taken," they added. The leaders said that although the Congress had won the elections on the strength of the government but in the forthcoming assembly elections in 2022, the people would retaliate against the Congress' hooliganism. They said that people are a great force in a democracy.

The leaders further said that in the 2022 assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party will form a government in the state showing the way out to the Congress, which can properly address their every issue. They said that with the formation of the AAP government in 2022, all the dictatorships being carried out by the Congress government would come to an end. The leaders said that severe punishment would be meted out to all those who were playing their role in destroying democracy. They said that the volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party, who were raising their voice against hooliganism, were implicated in false cases by the police to stifle their voice. They said that action would be taken against all the guilty officials on the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government.