After a police constable was killed and five others were injured in an exchange of gunfire between two Nihang factions in Sultanpur Lodhi, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday asked Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, who also holds home portfolio to quit.
“Enough is enough. If you cannot handle the state’s law and order, you have no right to remain in this position. Just leave and let someone else do the job”, Bajwa reprimanded the Punjab CM.
Senior Congress Leader Bajwa said if the Punjab CM could snatch the portfolios of some of his cabinet colleagues on the pretext of non-performance, why can’t he resign as he had failed terribly in streamlining the law and order situation of Punjab?
Bajwa said that now the police used Section 145 of the IPC to resolve the dispute between two factions of the Nihang Sikhs. With the police intervention, both factions have compromised. Had the government done this before, the life of the police constable could have been saved. It is a complete failure of the government. “Instead of concentrating on the issues concerning the state the most, Mann remained busy luring the voters of the poll-bound states. He made false claims about the law and order situation of Punjab in the poll-bound states. In reality, Mann has been the most inefficient CM Punjab has ever had”, Bajwa added.
The opposition leader said that ever since the Aam Aadmi Party got hold of power in Punjab, the crime rate had shot up suddenly. Now, he has not got any clue how to deal with it.
“Under the AAP regime, if the Punjab Police cannot protect themselves, how can they ensure the safety of the general public?” Bajwa asked.
He said that under the 20-month rule of the AAP, drug peddling has been on the rise. The Mann government has shown no remorse, even though the deaths of Punjabi youth caused by drug overdose have risen.
