Punjab govt has failed to check disruptive forces, says BJP leader Chugh

Chandigarh, April 8 (IANS) BJP National General Secretary, Tarun Chugh, on Tuesday said the Bhagwant Mann government has completely failed to check subversive and disruptive forces which have ushered in a “grenade culture” in Punjab.

Coming down heavily on the AAP government after a grenade attack on the house of former minister and ex-Punjab BJP President, Manoranjan Kalia in Jalandhar on Monday night, Chugh said it reflected complete failure of Chief Minister Mann, who is also the Home Minister, to check foreign-based anti-national forces.

He said, “It is time Mann resigns as Chief Minister for his failure to check grenade attacks in the state.”

“Law and order in the state has completely collapsed as the grenade attack took place on a senior BJP leader’s house,” Chugh said in a statement, adding that earlier the grenade attacks targeted police stations, but now disruptive forces have started targeting BJP leaders.

Chugh said, “This is not an isolated incident but part of a larger, sinister conspiracy to disturb peace, incite communal tensions, and instil fear among people and BJP leaders.”

“From RPG attacks on police headquarters to grenade attacks on police stations, from sacrilege at religious places to the shameful targeting of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s statues -- Punjab has been taken hostage by anti-national, disruptive forces,” Chugh said.

Chugh emphasised that the AAP government has failed to control disruptive elements, leading to an atmosphere of fear and insecurity among the people.

He demanded a thorough investigation into these incidents and called for the Chief Minister to take moral responsibility and resign immediately.

Meanwhile, Punjab Police claimed to have cracked the hand grenade attack case with the arrest of two accused in less than 12 hours.

The police said the attack was masterminded by Pakistan’s ISI-backed terror module.

Special Director General of Police (Law and Order), Arpit Shukla, told the media here that “preliminary investigations have revealed a larger conspiracy orchestrated by Pakistan's ISI to disrupt communal harmony in Punjab.

“The plot was masterminded by Zeeshan Akhtar, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan-based ISI-sponsored gangster Shahzad Bhatti.”

However, he didn’t rule out the possible links of the accused with Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) mastermind Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and gangster Happy Passia.

He said police teams have also recovered an e-rickshaw used by the accused in executing the attack on the house of Kalia.

--IANS

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