Former Punjab Chief Minister and Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday warned the Punjab Police officials against allegedly intimidating his party workers at the behest of some local Congress leaders, saying that he would take all necessary measures to come down heavily on 'such hooligans in uniforms'.
The former Chief Minister was reacting to reports of Punjab cops stopping PLC workers who were putting up posters in the Malwa region. He said he had received reports that the Punjab Police officials, clearly acting at the bidding of local Congress leaders, were threatening to slap false cases against his party workers. Captain Amarinder expressed surprise that such mischievous acts were being allowed by Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. "If the present government has the guts, let them take me on politically instead of using these goons in uniform to do their dirty jobs," he said. He asked Channi to "rein in" such elements within the Congress and in the police force, "unless you are deliberately allowing such anarchy to plunge Punjab into political mayhem ahead of the Assembly polls, in which the ruling party is set to be shamefully trounced." "I know how to deal with such officials, who have compromised their integrity to appease their political masters," said Captain Amarinder, adding that, if needed, he would not shy from taking the Centre's help to deal with the lawlessness being unleashed by such police personnel. He asserted he would do anything needed to ensure that law and order is maintained in the state, which had witnessed complete peace and political harmony during his tenure as chief minister. "All such partisan officials who are going around trying to terrorise my party workers should remember that they aren't above the law, and they will have to answer for their acts," warned the former chief minister, adding that such draconian acts will not be tolerated at any cost. The job of the men in uniform is to maintain law and order and not to act in a partisan manner, said the PLC chief, warning the police personnel against becoming tools in the hands of the party in power. The Channi government should ensure that not just PLC workers but workers of BJP or Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic), with which his party is headed for alliance/seat arrangement, should not be harassed in the state, he said.
Assembly polls in Punjab are slated for early next year.
( With inputs from ANI )
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