A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) appealed its coalition partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to respect “coalition dharma” and principles of shared responsibility, a senior leader from the saffron brigade on Monday wrote to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy son and SAD president Sukhbir Badal stressing on giving “free-hand” to the police and other officials.
“The need of the hour is to given a free hand to the police and other officials so that they can discharge their duty as per the law of the land,” stated All India Secretary BJP Kisan Morcha and Prabhari Himachal Pradesh Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal in a letter to the Badals.
He said that the clear instructions should be given to the police and other officials that in case of their involvement in any wrongdoing, they will be dealt with strictly.
Grewal pointed: “The ruling SAD has appointed MlAs and former MlAs as ‘halqa in-charges’ who reportedly dictate terms to officials at the district level.”
He stressed that it was a time and need for doing away with the Akali practice of appointing “halqa in-charges” which are assembly constituency chiefs.
“There is also a problem of deteriorating law and order. The constituency halqa in-charge wields unlimited powers in his respective police stations. Such practice send a wrong message among the people and led to resentment among the people,” he said.
Grewal said that despite strong Narendra Modi wave in the country, results in Punjab were far from satisfactory. “A huge anti-incumbency against the state government resulted in Aam Aadmi Party securing four seats even though it lost everywhere. Drug issue has also hit the state hard. People of Punjab vented their ire over the government’s inability to check the menace by voting against the SAD-BJP alliance,” he added.
Akali leaders, a day before, had asked the Punjab BJP leaders not to do or say anything which might amount to an embarrassment to the senior leaders of the two parties who share complete trust and respect for each other.
SAD secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and general secretary Balwinder Singh Bhunder, taking strong exception to the statements of some Punjab BJP’s leaders casting aspersions on Akali Dal in the wake of coalition’s performance in just-concluded lok Sabha elections, had described it as “uncalled for, avoidable and a violation of the coalition dharma”.