Chandigarh: In an unprecedented development, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today not only backed out from meeting the Congress leaders after having given them time, but also got them arrested, after getting an FIR registered against them, when they insisted on a meeting which was prescheduled by the party to discuss the issue of deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.
The Congress leaders were detained in Sector 3 Police Station. “The Chief Minister was either scared of meeting us as he had no defence and explanation about the deteriorating law and order situation in the state or his masters in Delhi had not granted him the permission to meet us”, an angry PCC President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring told reporters.
The Congress delegation included besides the PCC President, the Congress Legislative Party Leader, Partap Singh Bajwa, PCC Working President Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former Deputy Chief Ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and OP Soni, Deputy CLP Leader Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, senior leaders, Brahm Mohindra, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana KP Singh, PCC General Secretary Capt Sandeep Sandhu and about 75 sitting and former party legislators.
The Congress party had sought time in advance and had been given appointment for today. However, when they reached the Chief Minister’s residence at the scheduled hour, they were first refused entry and after some time were made to wait for an hour only to be told that the Chief Minister was not available and he can meet them tomorrow. This angered the Congress leaders who included party veterans and former ministers.
They said, this was unprecedented that the CM had literally run away from meeting the leaders of the principal opposition party in the state. “We wonder why the CM shied away from meeting us”, remarked former minister Brahm Mohindra. The party leaders disclosed that they had already spelt out the agenda of their proposed meeting with the Chief Minister.
“Every day there is a murder here or there and just ten days ago we lost a promising leader and internationally known singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala to gangsters guns and this government remains unmoved”, the CLP Leader Partap Bajwa said. Former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa lashed out at the government for its dictatorial approach in dealing with the opposition.
“I don’t know why the Chief Minister is afraid of meeting the opposition”, he asked, while pointing out, instead of meeting them he got them arrested which is undemocratic. The Congress leaders said, they will continue with their protest and will not rest till justice is not done in Moosewala’s murder. They pointed out, this government has made no progress so far in the case and whatever it was saying was based on the secondary reports it got from other states. “What is your progress in the murder case so far?” Randhawa asked.
