Chandigarh: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring today lashed out at the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for rushing to the centre for additional security forces to handle the security challenges faced by the state.
“It is not only an admission of failure on the security front, but also lack of confidence the Aam Aadmi Party government has in itself and in the competence of Punjab Police”, Warring said in a statement while reacting to Punjab government request to centre for deployment of additional security forces in Punjab.
The PCC president said his party has been consistently alerting the government about the security challenges faced by Punjab and lack of experience of this government to deal with it.
“We stand vindicated as the state has rushed to the centre for security assistance to make up for its lack of experience”, he remarked. He criticized the Mann government for its lack of faith and confidence in Punjab Police as otherwise it would not have requested for central forces.
“I am sure, you as a Punjabi must be aware of the competence and confidence of our Punjab Police in dealing with any security challenge”, Warring told Mann, adding, “but the problem is that those who are taking such decisions have no knowledge about Punjab and the Police here”.
Warring also took a dig at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, apparently at whose behest the additional security forces have been sought from the centre, saying, for his personal security Kejriwal takes commandos from Punjab, but for the security of the state his party’s government is begging the centre.
The PCC president also cautioned the AAP government about the financial implications of getting additional central security forces. “Past experience has been bitter as the state accumulated substantial debt due to security expenses”, he said, while adding, “keeping in view the precarious financial condition of the state, all such moves must be carefully thought before”.
At the same time, he clarified, “if the government feels that it really needs additional security forces, it should go ahead as security of the state remains paramount and non-negotiable”.
