Chandigarh-Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar said that by making Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann issue misleading statements regarding the bomb blasts, AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal wants to break Punjab’s communal harmony and incite unrest in the state. He said the BJP would never allow such attempts to succeed.
After the Chief Minister allegedly made baseless accusations linking the BJP to the bomb blasts, a BJP delegation today visited the DGP office demanding an investigation into what it termed a “conspiracy” behind the statement. The delegation also offered themselves for arrest at the Police Headquarters and said that if there is any evidence against them, action should be taken; otherwise, the Chief Minister and other AAP leaders should be included in the investigation and action should be initiated against them for making baseless accusations and incendiary statements.
Sunil Jakhar described the Chief Minister’s statement regarding the bomb blasts as not only dangerous for communal harmony but also “seditious.” He said that whenever India raises the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism at international forums, Pakistan could now use the Chief Minister’s video statement in its defense. He added that the Chief Minister’s remarks had damaged India’s image internationally. Jakhar said that while Punjab’s DGP claims Pakistan’s ISI is behind the blasts, the Chief Minister is effectively giving Pakistan a clean chit, and therefore a sedition case should be registered against him.
Jakhar further alleged that the Chief Minister was acting merely as a pawn in a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Arvind Kejriwal. He claimed that AAP’s intention is to provoke communal tensions in Punjab and damage the state’s social harmony for political gain. He said the fact that multiple AAP leaders are making similar statements proves this is part of a choreographed and coordinated strategy by the party leadership to sow hatred in Punjab.
He also alleged that during the 2017 Punjab elections, Arvind Kejriwal had stayed at the homes of people linked to extremists, and it’s antecedents itself are suspect. He has no right even accuse a nationalist party like the BJP.
Jakhar stated that Punjab’s greatest strength is its communal harmony, and the BJP would never allow anyone to destroy it. Referring again to Bhagwant Mann, he said the Chief Minister had already “lost the moral right” to remain in office after allegedly attending the Assembly in an inebriated state, and that this latest statement further proved his “incompetence.”
The BJP president also said that if a case can be registered and questioning conducted against Leader of Opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa over his statement regarding the blasts, then the Chief Minister and AAP leaders cannot be above the law. He demanded that if the Chief Minister has evidence, he should present it; otherwise, action should be taken against him, and Arvind Kejriwal should also be included in the investigation because the entire AAP leadership is allegedly making similar statements aimed at disturbing peace in Punjab.
Jakhar added that the BJP would write to the Government of India demanding an NIA investigation into the Chief Minister’s statement. He said the party would use every possible democratic means to protect Punjab’s communal harmony and stop what he called AAP’s divisive agenda.
Present on the occasion were Working President Ashwani Sharma along with core group members MLA Jangi Lal Mahajan, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Manoranjan Kalia, Tikshan Sood, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Kewal Dhillon, Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia, S. S. Virk, P. S. Gill, Rakesh Rathour, Parminder Singh Brar, N. K. Verma and Vineet Joshi, along with several other senior leaders.