Hand grenades are the ‘new normal’ in Punjab; police creating ‘illusion of action’ with encounters: BJP’s Sunil Jakhar

Citing earlier statements made by the state police chief, Jakhar said the DGP had admitted that many youngsters were being lured by gangsters with allurements such as costly shoes and other items.

“Long back, a phenomenon called narco-terrorism had become popular. Now it is gangster narco-terrorism. Income is being generated through drugs, and it is being used to lure the youth. Weapons are being supplied via drones. I wonder where Punjab’s own drone technology, on which they had spent crores, has gone.”

Responding to a question, Jakhar said it was “completely laughable” that the chief secretary and the DGP delivered speeches at an AAP rally in Moga and later tried to label it as a government programme.

Showing the media Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s tweet from that day, he said the chief minister had called it an AAP rally, and questioned in what capacity the state’s top civil and police officers spoke there.

Jakhar further claimed that even senior Congress leaders had acknowledged the worsening situation. He said that the fact that senior Congress leaders are writing to the Central Government seeking improvement in law and order proved that only the BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, can correct the situation.

Jakhar said Punjab needed a strong leadership with the courage to make and implement
decisions, adding that only the BJP could curb lawlessness, provide safety, and put the state back on the path of development. He said it was now for the people of the state to decide whether they want to live in fear or choose a peaceful state based on social harmony.

Punjab Government’s ‘total intelligence failure in Gurdaspur’

Referring to the recent incident in Gurdaspur, where two police personnel were killed near the border area, Jakhar said, “This is a total intelligence failure of the Punjab Government. They had inputs earlier that 5-6 persons had infiltrated from Pakistan…so they couldn’t sense the crime or even trace those persons.”

Holding Mann responsible, Jakhar said the police were now limited to post-incident encounters to “create an illusion of action and pacify public anger”. He was reacting to the Wednesday morning police encounter related to the Gurdaspur killings.

Jakhar also alleged that the Opposition Congress had “completely surrendered” before the chief minister and lacked the courage to raise its voice.

Jakhar concluded by stating that while the BJP could pull Punjab out of the current crisis, it could happen only if the people chose the party in the elections, adding that this was the only way for the state to escape what he described as the misgovernance of the inexperienced AAP Government.