A day after the president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab unit Ashwini Sharma was attacked by a group of unidentified persons, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said there was no place for violence in a democracy.
Condemning the attack, Badal said it was the work of anti- social forces who wanted to sabotage the ongoing farmers’ agitation against the agricultural marketing Acts.
The SAD president said nothing could be achieved by resorting to violent activities and all acts of violence were condemnable.
“Those resorting to such attacks can never be well wishers of the farming community,” he added.
Badal also asked the Congress government to come down heavily on antisocial forces that were being used to defame the farmers’ cause and not encourage them in any manner whatsoever.
“We are very clear that farmers cannot indulge in any such actions and we will oppose any attempt to appropriate the blame on them,” he added.
Badal asked the government to take required measures to ensure such incidents do not reoccur.
He also made an appeal for following peace and communal harmony at all costs even as he called upon the centre to talk to agitating farmers in the state to resolve their grievances at the earliest.
While cars in Sharma’s convoy were attacked and vandalized, he was also assaulted and manhandled. Sharma was rescued by his security guards and taken to the Dasuya police station.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh in a statement suspected Youth Congress leaders’ role in the attack.
He accused the state government of giving patronage to assaulters. Terming the attack a well-planned move to disturb peace in the state, Sharma said it seemed to be the handiwork of anti-social elements.
“Farmers can never do such an act,” he said, adding the anti-social elements would never succeed in their designs.