Punjab BJP holds protests against AAP govt over shutdown of 'awareness camps'

     Chandigarh, Aug 22 (PTI) The Punjab BJP on Friday held a state-wide protest against the AAP government for allegedly "forcibly stopping" its central schemes awareness camps with party unit president Sunil Jakhar accusing the Bhagwant Mann dispensation of "murdering democracy."
     The BJP workers burnt the effigies of the Bhagwant Mann government.
     Punjab BJP leader Jakhar, who helmed a protest, was not allowed from moving towards Raipur village in Fazilka district, a party leader said.
     Jakhar, along with several other party workers, was later detained by police near the Kala Tibba toll plaza in Fazilka's Abohar.
     Addressing a gathering, Jakhar alleged that the AAP government was "misusing" police for stopping their campaigns.
     He asserted that the camps were meant for the poor, to help them avail the benefits of the central government schemes, and rejected allegations of data theft in these camps.
     Jakhar was later released.
     In Mohali, BJP leaders Subhash Sharma, Parminder Singh Brar, and Sanjiv Vashisht held a demonstration against the government.
     Jakhar said the state government cannot stop him from speaking for the people through "police repression".
     He stated that he is not intimidated by these actions of the government.
     He was on his way to participate in an awareness camp organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Raipura village of the Baluana Assembly constituency from Abohar to inform people about the central government's schemes.
     However, during this, the "oppressive" police of the state government detained him to prevent him from proceeding further.
     Jakhar alleged that the Punjab government has "failed" on every front and is not ensuring that the benefits of the central government's schemes reach the people, especially the poor.
     He said that raising awareness among people about the central government's schemes is not a crime, and the BJP is organising camps in villages for this purpose.
     Jakhar claimed that under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, there were 22 lakh beneficiaries in Punjab, but due to the government's "failure" to take proper action, this number has decreased to only 8.5 lakh.
     Similarly, more cards under the Ayushman Bharat scheme have been issued in Haryana compared to Punjab, despite the neighbouring state having a lesser population than the border state, which proves that the Punjab government is "not" delivering the benefits of central government schemes to the people.
     Strongly condemning the stopping of camps organised by the BJP, he said this action of the government is completely "undemocratic and illegal".
     Jakhar stated that the party will approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard.
     The BJP has accused the Mann government of shutting down its awareness camps at 39 places in Punjab.
     The party said that these camps were part of the party's outreach programme, 'BJP De Sewadar, Aa Gaye Tuhade Dwar,' to ensure that the poor, the scheduled caste community, farmers, and women get the benefits of the central welfare schemes.
     However, the AAP alleged that BJP workers were "illegally" collecting personal details at these camps.
     AAP leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that according to rules, the central government implements any of its welfare schemes through the state government. Leaders and workers of any political party have no right to do so, he added.
     Several BJP leaders were detained from these camps by police on Thursday.
     Meanwhile, former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh condemned the detention of BJP workers, which, he said, was done on the "instructions" of the Mann government.
     In a statement, he alleged that instead of curbing the "rampant" drug trade and incidents of crime, the Punjab Police was being "shamefully misused" to suppress the BJP's lawful and democratic initiatives.
     "BJP has been organising welfare camps across villages to ensure that poor families, farmers, women, Dalits, and youth can directly avail the benefits of the Modi government's schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, pension and insurance benefits. But the Mann government, out of sheer political insecurity, is obstructing these efforts," he said.
     The former Congress member said it was because of the "total collapse" of governance under Bhagwant Mann that the BJP had to step in and connect people with the central government schemes.

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