The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday demanded the Election Commission (EC) to register a criminal case against Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s advisor Mohammad Mustafa over an alleged inflammatory speech made earlier this week.
In a video, the former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Mustafa, who is also the principal strategic adviser to Punjab Congress
chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, was asked about a public meeting of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) underway nearby at Malerkotla.
He responded by saying, “I am not an agent of the RSS like them (AAP).
If I have my way, I will not allow them to conduct even one public meeting I am a soldier of the community and will continue to fight for the community.”
Mustafa is the husband of the Congress party’s Malerkotla candidate for the upcoming Punjab election, Razia Sultana. She is a state minister and current Malerkotla legislator.
Addressing a Press conference, BJP national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi said she is appalled that such a statement was made by a former police officer.
“This is inflammatory and anti-Muslim as well as anti-Hindu. Was this statement made to orchestrate riots? It is unacceptable,” Ilmi said, adding an FIR should be lodged against Mustafa for his alleged attempt to disturb communal harmony.
Blaming the Punjab Congress for creating a serious threat to national security, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said both Sidhu and his advisor Mustafa are playing in the hands of Pakistan’s ISI.
He demanded Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to explain if the party wanted to repeat of anti-Sikh riots in Punjab. He demanded the EC to register a criminal case against Mustafa.
Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab affairs co-in-charge Raghav Chadha also expressed displeasure over the “provocative statement” of Mustafa. He said in the time of election Congress party, under some nefarious conspiracy, is trying to disturb the atmosphere of Punjab.
Congress leaders and their advisers are making such provocative statements to disturb the peace of Punjab, Chadha said adding Mustafa was close to both Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Sidhu. “Mustafa has given such a statement only at the behest of Channi and Sidhu.
Such statements reflect the thinking of the Congress party and its leaders,” Chadha said, appealing the EC to take strict action against Mustafa for trying to vitiate the atmosphere of a poll-bound state. Malerkotla is an Assembly constituency in Punjab.