Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Thursday attacked the AAP Government over its proposed sacrilege law, calling the move a “new episode” in its “drama series”. At the same time, he demanded that the government disclose how many culprits it has actually convicted in sacrilege cases since coming to power.
Jakhar, addressing a press conference alongside BJP’s newly appointed working president Ashwani Sharma, questioned why the government had neither consulted religious bodies nor shared the Bill’s draft with legislators. “This is not how serious legislation is made. AAP must stop playing to the gallery,” he said.
He pointed out that over 300 incidents of sacrilege have occurred in Punjab since the 2015 Bargari case, yet no significant convictions have been achieved. “The punishment under existing laws is two years. Why hasn’t the AAP government used it effectively?” he asked, urging the government to act instead of making sensational announcements.
He also raised concerns about the land pooling policy, alleging it is being used to benefit Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s “Delhi bosses”. Jakhar accused the government of secretly reducing the land acquisition objection window from 30 to 15 days and bypassing Cabinet approval. “This is nothing but loot in the name of public policy. We will challenge it legally,” he declared.
On the law-and-order front, Jakhar alleged that Punjab is in a state of fear under Kejriwal’s shadow governance and questioned how interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi were recorded from Punjab jails.
Mocking Mann’s past promises and his handling of corruption charges against his own minister, Jakhar said, “The CM has lost credibility. His words no longer match his government’s actions.”