With local bodies elections just a few days away in Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress Government for letting loose the goonda raj in the State.
Elections to eight municipal corporations and 109 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held on February 14.
Stating that Punjabis were paying a very high price for the goondaism let loose by the Congress party, SAD president Sukhbir Badal castigated the State Election Commission (SEC) for failing to ensure free and fair elections to municipal bodies. At the same time, Sukhbir requested the Governor VP Singh Badnore to avert more loss of lives as had occurred in Moga on Tuesday night.
Condemning the barbaric manner in which Congressmen ran over two Akali workers — Harminder and Jagdeep — in Moga, Sukhbir said that the SEC was directly responsible for these deaths as it had failed to rein in Congress goons despite repeated complaints since more than one week.
“Had the SEC done its duty and directed the State Police to take action in the cases of armed attacks on SAD workers at Jalalabad and Bhikhiwind, Congress workers would not have got so emboldened and murdered Akali workers in cold blood like this,” he said.
Asserting that the law and order situation had gone out of hand, Sukhbir requested the State Governor to intervene and direct the State police to restore law and order.
“Action should also be taken against the police officials who are working as Congress workers and not allowing people to exercise their democratic right,” he said while also requesting the Governor to direct all State agencies to stop harassment of Akali workers at the instance of Congress legislators, pointing that raids were being conducted on business premises of Akali workers to intimidate them.
Sukhbir also requested the Governor to dismiss the State Election Commissioner for failing to safeguard democratic principles. “It is more than a fortnight that we have demanded that paramilitary forces be deployed to ensure free and fair elections. We have also demanded that videography be allowed in election booths besides instant counting of votes to avert booth rigging. However, the SEC is sleeping on the matter and behaving like a Sarkari Commissioner. Action should be taken against him immediately,” he said.
As the civic body polls are inching closer, the state has been witnessing several incidents of violence and clashes between the Congress and SAD workers, with attacks on the BJP leaders and workers by the agitating farmers.
On Tuesday, a violent clash broke out between SAD and Congress workers in Moga district, wherein two SAD workers were killed.
Earlier this month, Sukhbir’s vehicle was allegedly pelted with stones when party workers were attacked by Congress members, allegedly led by the son of Congress MLA from Jalalabad Raminder Singh Awla, at Jalalabad Tehsil complex, leaving four injured.