A day after poor turnout at the first ever all-party meeting of Punjab MPs, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday lashed out at Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh for “scuttling” the important conference.
The Chief Minister has betrayed the aspirations of people of Punjab, said BJP’s national secretary Tarun Chugh while holding Capt Amarinder directly responsible for making the meeting a 'flop show'.
Alleging that Capt Amarinder was not ready to shed his feudal ways, the BJP leader said that the dictatorial attitude and arrogance of the Chief Minister was proving costly for the state as it requires the services of a more grounded and practical leader.
He said that the meeting, which had 26 important items on agenda, was reduced to a farce as only four out of the 20 Punjab MPs participated.
Chugh said that the Chief Minister, who had himself convened the meeting, later backed out and deputed one of his ministers to head the same triggering resentment among the MPs who felt that it would be below their dignity to attend the meeting while the Chief Minister had himself decided to skip the same after extending an invitation to them.
The BJP leader said that the CM has tried to belittle the august office of the Parliament by behaving in such a manner and it was an insult of the people of Punjab as the MPs represent the people of the state.
Chugh said that it was highly unfortunate that not only SAD, BJP and AAP MPs but even some of the Congress MPs preferred to stay away.
He said that Capt Amarinder, after assuming power in the state, had once again started humiliating the elected representatives of the state and more so the MlAs of his own party.
Even the Congress MlAs were complaining that it was difficult to have a word with the Chief Minister, he added.