Punjab BJP working president dares CM Mann: ‘why getting scared…fight us politically’

Sharma was addressing media after leading a party delegation that met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria seeking his intervention over Punjab Police detaining its leaders and workers at 39 places in state where they were conducting outreach programme ‘BJP De Sewadar, Aa Gaye Tuhade Dwar’ to “ensure that the poor, the scheduled caste community, farmers, youth and women get the benefits of public welfare schemes of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre”.

The BJP also alleged that several party leaders were detained. They include Sunny Kainth, president of BJP Rural (Ludhiana) from his Flower Enclave office; former Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku from Adampur; senior BJP leader K D Bhandari from Shahkot in Jalandhar; Pathankot district BJP president Suresh Kumar; and Preetpal Sharma from Gidderbaha, who switched from the AAP to the BJP in November last year. BJP leader Vandana Sangwan and Fazilka district president Kaka Kamboj were detained from the Raipur village in Fazilka during a camp in the morning.

Sharma said his party will burn effigies of the AAP government in each Vidhan Sabha constituency on Friday.

Earlier, in the memorandum submitted to the Governor, the delegation alleged that there was “deliberate harassment” being inflicted upon the party workers, volunteers, and the innocent inhabitants of several villages across Punjab, where awareness camps have been initiated to spread vital information about the central government welfare schemes.

“Our party workers and volunteers, with the consent and active participation of the local residents, have been conducting these awareness camps in different villages,” said the memorandum.

The delegation accused the Punjab government “of creating obstacles in this noble cause”.

“In almost every camp, the state police and local administration have intervened to stop BJP workers and volunteers from providing information. This disruption is being justified on two pretexts–that prior permission from the Deputy Commissioner/SDM is required, and that parties are allegedly collecting personal data of the inhabitants,” it said.

No such permission is mandated under any law for awareness programmes of this nature, and the allegation regarding data collection is false, baseless, and politically motivated. Further the volunteers and workers engaged in these camps hold valid Common Service Centre (CSC) IDs. Hence, there is no illegality in the conduct of such programmes,” it said.

The allegation regarding data collection is false, baseless, and politically motivated, it said.

The BJP delegation urged the Governor to direct the Punjab government to immediately desist from “harassing” BJP workers, volunteers, and local inhabitants who are voluntarily participating in these awareness programmes.

Later, Sharma said the BJP workers just acted as a bridge by telling the poor about the camps. He claimed that so far 1.57 lakh people have availed the benefits of these camps which began in May.