Alleging that the Shiromani Akali Dal’s proposed protests on border against what it claimed to “pressurise the BSF” to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan will be “highly demoralising” for the force, the Punjab Congress on Monday sought slapping of sedition charge against party chief Sukhbir Badal.
The State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa also demanded imposition of the President's rule in the State claiming that the move was “unprecedented” and will lead to “public disorder and incite violence at the already tense Indo-Pak border and hence is seditious in nature”.
The Opposition party's attack came a day after the BJP ally SAD announced to organise dharnas on the international border on January 5 to “pressurise the BSF” to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan.
“Sukhbir Badal's announcement to hold the dharnas is highly demoralising for the para military force (BSF) and virtually accuses them of complicity…Such statements must be strongly deprecated and any attempt to malign the image of our armed forces or para military forces must be seen as anti-national,” Bajwa said.
SAD, a day before, decided to hold ‘dharnas’ at four places — Attari international border, Sadki Check Post at Fazilka, Hussainiwala international border and Gurdaspur international border.
BJP national president Amit Shah is also set to start an anti-drug campaign from January 12.
Sukhbir on Sunday had stated that through dharnas, they will “pressurise the Border Security Force (BSF) to stop drugs from entering Punjab territory from Pakistan”.
“While Amit Shah has announced to begin the BJP's national anti-drug campaign from Amritsar on January 12, Sukhbir has announced a parallel dharna against the brave soldiers of the BSF guarding the sensitive and active border, which is therefore in effect a dharna against the Narendra Modi-led Central Government,” said Bajwa.
“Both BJP and SAD are confronting each other to take credit on the drugs issue at the cost of endangering the hard won peace in this border State,” said the Punjab Congress chief.
“Sukhbir's action seems like devil quoting scriptures,” he alleged. Bajwa demanded that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, should immediately dismiss the SAD-BJP alliance Government.