A day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a protest outside the residence of Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu in violation of the “weekend curfew”, the Shiromani Akali Dal and its youth wing (Youth Akali Dal) on Monday held dharnas outside the Minister’s residence in Mohali and at Chandigarh, respectively.
Taking serious note of the developments, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to register cases under the Disaster Management Act against the opposition leaders and workers who have been staging dharnas in the state over the past few days.
Terming such acts of SAD and AAP as “irresponsible” and utter violation of the strict curbs in place in the State in view of the pandemic spread, the Chief Minister asked the DGP Dinkar Gupta to take action against them under the law.
“At a time when people could not gather even for weddings and funerals, leaders and workers of these parties are behaving in a reckless manner, showing no concern for the safety and health of Punjabis,” said the Chief Minister, adding that such behaviour could not be allowed or tolerated.
Pointing out that the AAP’s dharna on Sunday was, in fact, in violation of the weekend curfew in place in the State, Capt Amarinder said that such dharnas and political gatherings were potential super-spreaders and had to be firmly tackled.
“The law should take its course,” he told the DGP, adding that the political leaders had a big responsibility towards the society, which these parties had shunned, thus jeopardizing the lives of Punjab’s people.
“This is not the time to play political games and indulge in dirty politicking but to come together to fight the pandemic to the finish,” he said.
Notably, even before the COVID restrictions in the second wave were imposed by the Chief Minister, he had announced that the ruling Congress in Punjab will not hold any political gatherings.
SAD DEMANDS SIDHU’S DISMISSAL; SETS JUN 15 AS DEADLINE FOR CM TO ACT
Demanding the immediate dismissal of Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu for allegedly presiding over the vaccine and Fateh kit scams, the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday set June 15 as deadline for the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to act otherwise “SAD would ‘gherao’ the Chief Minister’s residence.
Sukhbir, addressing a two-hour-long symbolic dharna near health Minister’s Mohali residence, said: “We will continue to strive to ensure justice to the people of Punjab in the vaccine scam in which instead of giving free vaccines to the people, the Congress Government sold vaccines at a hefty profit to private institutions and also allowed the latter to fleece the people further.”
“This amounts to playing with lives and is reprehensible. Balbir Sidhu is directly responsible for this corrupt act and in case he is not dismissed we will approach the Governor as well as the courts for justice,” he said.
Meanwhile, Youth Akali Dal (YAD) workers also held a dharna in front of the compound leading to Health Minister’s official residence at Chandigarh and were lathi-charged.