The high drama over arrest of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tajinder Bagga by Punjab Police in Delhi has sparked a controversy in Punjab with the Opposition parties accusing the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of misusing the state police for political vendetta.

Even as Haryana Police later handed Bagga to Delhi Police after the BJP leader’s father registered a case of kidnapping in Delhi, Opposition parties said the whole episode tarnished the image of the Punjab Police.

“Tajinder Bagga could be from a different party, one could have ideological differences. But Political vendetta of Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, to settle personal scores through Punjab police is a cardinal sin… Stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by Politicising it,” former Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said in a tweet.

The Leader of Opposition, Partap Singh Bajwa said the Punjab CM should not misuse the state police. “I urge Bhagwant Mann Ji to not reduce our Punjab Police officers to the private militia of Arvind Kejriwal. The whole spectacle of arresting BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga is nothing but vendetta politics by AAP bosses in Delhi. Focus on governance not pleasing your masters in Delhi,” he said in a tweet.

The Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said it was the “saddest day” for Punjab Police. “Inexperience of Bhagwant Mann who lets Arvind Kejriwal have his dictatorial way, our decorated cops are being held at Kurukshetra, as ‘accused’ for ‘kidnapping’. Responsibility must be fixed for putting our police in such an embarrassing situation,” he said in a tweet.

He, however, said the BJP is reaping the whirlwind. “It (BJP) started misusing the police. Now its B-team Aam Aadmi Party is replicating the formula. In the process the ‘institution of police’ has been subverted. DelhiPolice registering a kidnapping case against Punjab Police is most unfortunate,” Warring added in a tweet.

The Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said “badlav” (change) doesn’t mean misusing police to target political opponents.

“Bhagwant Mann should immediately stop registering cases and arresting Kejriwal’s opponents as done in case of Tajinder Bagga. Punjabis elected you to bring meaningful change, not to settle
political scores of your party head,” he said in a tweet.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said it is a criminal act of Kejriwal to which Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann is playing a meek second fiddle.

“Instead of focusing on the electoral promises made by the AAP government, both Kejriwal and Mann are resorting to shameful acts to divert people’s attention from the dismal failure of the AAP government in Punjab,” he added.