AAP govt in Punjab playing politics over sacrilege issue alleges Sirsa

    Chandigarh, Jul 9 (PTI) Delhi minister and BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Wednesday accused the AAP government in Punjab of playing politics over the issue of sacrilege, much like the Congress did during its regime.
    He stated that the AAP government had promised to put perpetrators of 'beadbi' (the act of sacrilege against religious texts) incidents behind bars. "Now, they are saying they will frame a law to address this issue. This indicates that they have failed to prevent sacrilege incidents in the state over the past three years," the BJP leader said.
    "Three and a half years have passed, and they have not yet arrested anyone involved in sacrilege incidents. They previously claimed to know who was responsible," Sirsa said while speaking to reporters here.
    Calling AAP MLA from Amritsar North Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh as their "poster boy", Sirsa alleged he was not allowed to speak about the sacrilege issues in the state assembly.
    Last month, Kunwar was suspended from AAP for five years due to alleged involvement in anti-party activities.
    "People are demanding accountability for sacrilege incidents that occurred during the AAP regime. Where was Bhagwant Mann for these three and a half years? These are nothing but theatrics and distractions," he said.
    "Neither they made any law against sacrilege nor arrested any drug smugglers in the last three-and-a-half years," he added.
    On June 28, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that his government would introduce a law to impose stricter punishments for sacrilege acts. Mann emphasised that while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) outlines provisions for protecting religious places, it remains silent regarding holy 'granths'.
    Mann had assured that everyone involved in sacrilegious acts, either directly or indirectly, would face severe punishment.
    In 2015, the incidents related to the theft of a 'bir' (copy) of Guru Granth Sahib from the Burj Jawahar Singh Wala gurdwara, the posting of sacrilegious posters in Bargari and Burj Jawahar Singh Wala, and the discovery of torn pages of the holy book scattered in Bargari sparked widespread anti-sacrilege protests in Faridkot.
    These protests led to police firing in October 2015, resulting in two fatalities in Behbal Kalan and injuries to others in Kotkapura, Faridkot.
    Further targeting the AAP government over the alleged deteriorating law and order in the state, Sirsa claimed that people have been receiving extortion calls from criminals.
    He cited the case of doctor Aniljit Kamboj, who was recently shot at after allegedly getting an extortion call. Sirsa claimed that the doctor had earlier demanded police security but did not receive it.
    Sirsa alleged that Punjab police personnel were assigned to protect AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal and other party leaders instead. "Is it necessary to provide security to leaders from Delhi when the people of Punjab are in danger?" he questioned.
    The minister asserted that Punjab was turning into a police state, alleging that "innocent" people were being killed in police encounters.
    He also demanded a CBI probe into the killing of two accused in the Abohar murder incident in an exchange of fire.
    Citing another murder in which businessman Sanjay Verma was shot dead in Abohar, Sirsa said, "They (AAP) are just attempting to divert attention."
    Further lashing out at the Mann government over the state debt, Sirsa claimed that Punjab has a debt of Rs 4 lakh crore. "For three months, it borrowed Rs 8,500 crore more. The AAP has become a 'karza chuk' party," he said.
    In response to a question regarding overage vehicles in Delhi, Sirsa stated that the Commission for Air Quality Management granted an extension until November 1 after the Delhi government wrote to it, seeking to put on hold its decision on a fuel ban for overage vehicles.
    Sirsa alleged that during the time the AAP government was in power in Delhi, 80,000 vehicles were classified as end-of-life vehicles, even though there were no registered scrap units available.
    Additionally, he criticised the AAP government regarding its land pooling scheme, alleging that the party accepted payments from large builders in Delhi in exchange for transferring land owned by Punjab farmers to them.
    Meanwhile, Sirsa announced that the Delhi government will commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, in November.
    Marking the occasion, a two-day state-level programme will be held at the Red Fort in Delhi.
    Stating that a Miyawaki-style urban forest is being created near Najafgarh in Delhi, Sirsa noted that it will be dedicated to the memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
    Delhi University will soon launch a course devoted to the lives and teachings of the Sikh Gurus, he added.
    Sirsa urged all public and private universities in Punjab to introduce similar programmes so that the youth connect with their rich heritage.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)