Congress on Friday demanded “President’s Rule” in Punjab alleging that the SAD-BJP Government has failed to run the State as per the constitutional provisions. The party also demanded registration of cases against Faridkot’s Deputy Commissioner and the Senior Superintendent of Police.
“SAD-BJP Government should be dismissed as it has totally failed to maintain the law and order situation in the State. It is chaotic condition all over the State,” said Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab party affairs Shakeel Ahmed and State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa while addressing a press conference.
Ahmed said: “It is shameful that a party which claims to represent the Sikh community had allegedly ordered lathi-charge and repression on peaceful protestors who were reciting religious jaap on the roads to demonstrate their protest.”
“One cannot expect justice and fair play in the regime of SAD BJP government. The state government has failed to maintain law and order which is the prime duty of an elected government,” said Ahmed.
He said that the party high command fully endorsed the stand of state Congress president and demand dismissal of the SAD-BJP government under article 356 as they have failed to fulfil their constitutional obligations to protect the life and property of the citizens.
“It is fit case for the President’s Rule. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi has deputed me to assess the situation in the state. I am visiting Faridkot today and will submit my report to the high command tomorrow,” he said.
Asking Sukhbir Badal and DGP Sumedh Singh Saini to take the responsibility of the incident, he said that the episode could have been avoided had they acted in time and solved the case of the missing scripture. “The two youths killed in clashes with police in Faridkot could have been saved,” he said.
Alleging that the intelligence set up in the state has virtually collapsed, he asked why was the warning given by some miscreants not taken seriously.
Bajwa added that all the sections of the society, students, farmers, employees, traders and business community are fed up with the policies of the SAD-BJP government. “They have lost the mandate to rule the state and they have badly failed to solve the problems of the people,” he said.
The State Congress chief demanded compensation for the victims at par with the compensation granted to Moga victims who were thrown out of the bus few months ago. “That precedent should be followed in giving compensation to these victims. Rs 35 lakh for each family of victim including a government job, Rs five lakh to serious injured and Rs one to all injured should be given on priority,” he said.
Bajwa said that the design was to divert the people’s attention from the farmers’ agitation demanding high compensation for cotton damage and the related issues.