Amid reported move by the Bhagwant Mann Government to bring in an amendment to Punjab Police Act-2007 during the ongoing special two-day Assembly session, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia said on Monday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government aims to regularise its “puppet” director general of police (DGP) with the move.

Addressing a press conference, Majithia said it was shocking that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wanted to bring in an amendment to the Police Act through the backdoor without any wider discussion on the same in the Punjab Assembly tomorrow.  “This seeks not only to overturn the directives of the Supreme Court vis-à-vis the terms and conditions for appointment of the state DGP, but is also against the norms of a healthy democracy,” he added.

The SAD leader said the AAP Government should not resort to double speak on the decisions taken by the Supreme Court. “The directions of the apex court that only those officers who had more than six months of service left along with seniority be submitted to the Centre in a proper format of six members from which the Centre would prune the list to three for final selection by the state was being done away with to foist a puppet DGP on the state,” Majithia said.

He said besides having an effect on administration of the law and order, the amendments in the Police Act would also create unrest in the Punjab Police.

The Punjab Police are having an acting DGP, Gaurav Yadav, for 11 months now as the Bhagwant Mann government is yet to recommend a panel of officers for appointment of DGP through Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as per the Supreme Court judgment. Through the reported amendment, the AAP government is keen to continue Yadav as DGP.

Meanwhile, Majithia also accused the AAP of double speak on the issue of river waters for petty political gains in Rajasthan and Haryana.

“The Punjab CM promised water to Rajasthan in the presence of AAP ally Hanuman Beniwal without even being asked for the same. Earlier the CM shared the stage with AAP Haryana president Sushil Gupta who announced that once AAP was elected to power in Haryana it would ensure SYL waters reached the fields of farmers of Haryana,” he said.

The SAD leader further said when in Punjab, Mann claims the state’s waters are for Punjabis and will not be given to anyone.