Expressing concern at the incidents of clashes in Patiala, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to fulfill his responsibilities and immediately tackle the law and order situation which had plummeted to an all time low in the state.
Expressing shock at the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government failed to preempt the disturbing incidents at Patiala by taking timely action, SAD senior leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said “This is a classic example of a complete collapse of the law and order situation,”.
He said the AAP government did not act decisively despite advance warning. “Even now rather than setting its own house in order, its spokespersons are choosing to go into a blame game with the Opposition. Its Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha has even shamelessly claimed that the incident was the result of a clash between the SAD and the Shiv Sena,” Dr Cheema said.
“Such cheap allegations are despicable and indicate that AAP has not learnt a lesson from the past and is ready to politicize unfortunate clashes which could again vitiate the communal atmosphere in the state,” he added.
Dr Cheema said it was for the first time that a communal clash of this magnitude had occurred in the state.
“Punjabis have always maintained communal harmony even in very trying times. The situation had taken a turn for the worse because of complete administrative paralysis,” he said.
The SAD leader said nothing has been done to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation in the state since the last one month.
“It is high time the chief minister wakes up from his slumber. He should realise that governments are not run by propaganda and sleaze campaigns against the Opposition. The CM should go into the reasons behind the incident, including gross intelligence failure, and take immediate corrective action to instill confidence in the people who are shaken by repeated incidents of violence including murders, targeted killings and dacoities,” he added.
The SAD leader also asked the chief minister to immediately convene a peace committee at Patiala to ensure such an incident did not occur again.
“Attempts should be made to ensure genuine reconciliation amongst all persons involved. Simultaneously protocols should be established to ensure such flare ups did not happen in future,” he added.
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