Punjab BJP delegation meets Governor, seeks intervention in 'harassment' of party workers

Chandigarh, Aug 21 (IANS) A delegation of the BJP's Punjab unit, led by working President Ashwani Sharma, on Thursday met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria and sought intervention to prevent "harassment" of party workers by the AAP government in the state.  

In a memorandum to the Governor, the Bharatiya Janata Party said the "continuous and deliberate harassment" was being inflicted upon the party workers, volunteers, and inhabitants of several villages across Punjab, where awareness camps have been initiated by the party to spread vital information about the Central government's welfare schemes.

The party demanded that the government should ensure that no obstruction is created in holding such awareness camps, which are purely for the welfare of the poor, the farmers, and the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe communities and safeguard the democratic rights of the people so that they can freely access information and avail benefits of the Union government's welfare initiatives without fear or intimidation.

Also, such obstruction not only violates the rights of the people but also undermines the very spirit of democracy and welfare enshrined in the Constitution, it said.

"We solicit your urgent intervention and appropriate directions in this matter in the larger interest of justice," reads the memorandum.

Meanwhile, police detained BJP leader and former MP Sushil Kumar Rinku and former party legislator K.D. Bhandari on Thursday.

While Rinku went to Adampur Assembly constituency to set up a camp related to the public schemes of the Central government, Bhandari was in the Shahpur Assembly constituency.

Anticipating a situation of conflict at these awareness camps, the police have rounded up both the leaders.

A day earlier, the government said it received credible reports that certain private operators are illegally collecting personal data of locals, allegedly on behalf of political parties.

An official spokesperson said under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act), any collection or use of personal data without consent is a punishable offence.

The local police have been directed to take strict penal action against those engaged in such unlawful activities.

The government said it has also come to notice that several individuals who shared their data were later targeted in scams and banking frauds, including cases where phone numbers and OTPs were misused to siphon off money.

The government urged the people not to share their personal information with unauthorised persons or agencies, as it may be misused at any stage.

--IANS

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