Sunil Jakhar detained, says Mann government 'murders democracy'

Chandigarh, Aug 22 (IANS) BJP's Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar, who was detained on Friday, said the Mann government "murders democracy". 

He said the government cannot stop him through police repression from speaking for the people.

Jakhar said, "he is not intimidated by these actions of the government".

While the BJP claims the campaign is to connect people with central schemes, the AAP government says intelligence reports suggest private operators are illegally gathering data from residents on the pretext of welfare enrolments.

While on the way to participate in the party's outreach campaign in Abohar town, Jakhar was detained by the police.

Upon being stopped by the police, he staged a sit-in protest on the road itself.

Addressing the gathering there, Jakhar said the government has "failed" on every front and "is not ensuring that the benefits of the Central government's schemes reach the people, especially the poor, due to which the common poor are suffering".

He said raising awareness among people about the Centre's schemes is not a crime, and the BJP is organising camps in villages for this purpose.

However, the government led by Chief Minister Mann has not accepted this and, adopting a repressive policy, is illegally stopping the party's camps.

He said this government is harassing every section of society. The poor, who are being denied the benefits of the Central government's schemes, will oust this government from power in the upcoming elections.

He said under the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, there were 22 lakh beneficiaries in Punjab, but due to the government's "failure" to take proper action, this number has decreased to only 8.5 lakh.

Similarly, more cards under the Ayushman Bharat Health Insurance Scheme have been issued in Haryana compared to Punjab, despite Haryana having a smaller population, which proves that the Punjab government is not delivering the benefits of central government schemes to the people.

Strongly condemning the stopping of camps organised by the BJP, he said this action of the government is completely "undemocratic and illegal".

He said the party will approach the High Court on this issue and, under any circumstances, the awareness camps organised to inform people will not stop.

He said the rights of the people will surely be delivered to them, and the party will rest only after ensuring that the schemes worth crores of rupees provided by the central government for the poor of Punjab reach them.

Joining the issue, former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh condemned the detention of BJP workers across the state, where welfare camps, delivering Central government schemes, were "forcibly dismantled" by the police.

He said instead of strengthening law and order, curbing the rampant drug trade, and addressing the growing menace of crime, the Punjab Police "is being shamefully misused as a political tool to suppress BJP's lawful and democratic initiatives".

"The BJP has been organising welfare camps across villages to ensure that poor families, farmers, women, Dalits, and youth can directly avail the benefits of the Modi government's schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, pension and insurance benefits. But the Mann government, out of sheer political insecurity, is obstructing these efforts," he added.

Earlier in the day, the police said it had received complaints that some people, claiming to be from a particular political party, were not only collecting personal data of individuals, but also money from people in the nature of commissions to get their work done from the government.

A police spokesperson said some citizens have also complained that they had given their bank account numbers to the persons who contacted them and that their bank accounts have been "emptied" of all money subsequently.

The spokesperson added that all such complaints are being examined, and strict action will be taken as per the law.

"We urge the public to stay away from such anti-social elements and not to give any personal data to anyone, as the same could be misused. People should also not approach any such private illegal people to get their government work done. The government has set up many 'Sewa Kendras' across the Punjab. People may approach any 'Sewa Kendra' or any Punjab government office for their government work," said the spokesperson.

--IANS

vg/svn