Ridiculing the claims made by the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in the Punjab assembly today that Punjab was the “safest state” in the country, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today warned him against adopting an ostrich like attitude.“Just shutting your eyes on the law and order problem does not mean that everything is going on well”, he told Sukhbir, while pointing out, had it been so, a police officer would not have to lose his life to save the honour and dignity of his daughter and a young girl would not have been abducted from her home in front of her parents.Replying to the marathon statement made by Sukhbir in front of his cheering legislators in the Punjab assembly today, Capt Amarinder warned Sukhbir against turning a blind eye to the incidents that are taking place across the state. “It is not a matter of rhetoric that you go on haranguing in the assembly to beat around the bush that Punjab is the safest state”, he told the Deputy CM, while referring to the everyday incidents of crime, particularly those committed by the Akali goons.Having a dig at Sukhbir’s claims that the Akali leader who had killed an ASI had been expelled from the party, Capt Amarinder asked him, “if your intentions are genuinely sincere to cleanse the party of the criminals then begin with your brother in law Bikram Majithia, who is the greatest goon in your party who can threaten and intimidate people even inside the assembly”.Ridiculing the Deputy CM for claiming credit for curbing terrorism and naxalism, the former Chief Minister told Sukhbir, “do I need to remind you that your father had run away during terrorism while you had been sheltered abroad while Congress fought terrorism in Punjab”. “Now you better take care of your Akali goons particularly your brother in law who is heading the Bikram Sena with all the ruffians, goons, criminals and proclaimed offenders”, he asked Sukhbir.
Drawing Sukhbir’s attention towards two incidents of the killing of an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police in Amritsar while saving the honour and dignity of his daughter by an Akali leader and the broad day light abduction of a school girl from her house in front of her parents in Faridkot again by an Akali activist, he asked him, “are these the standards of your ‘safest state’?”The former Chief Minister reiterated that the police were feeling demoralised at the treatment meted out to them by the Akali leaders who seem to have been provided the licence to kill and immunity from law.Giving details of some other incidents he pointed out, a traffic police constable was beaten up by a Youth Akali Dal leader in Gurdaspur on December 7, 2012. An official in the office of the Block Development Officer at Sanaur was beaten up in his office on December 12 by an Akali Sarpanch.Station House Officer of Ghanaur police station was assulated by Akali leader. Last year a youth was murdered in Jalandhar by the nephew of an Akali MLA. Truck union president of Jagaraon, Darshan Singh was shot dead on December 3, while another truck union president and an ex-Akali MLA Milkiat Singh Kittu was killed.He said, it was high time that Sukhbir, who also happens to be the Home Minister of the States, sees the writing on the wall and does not run away from the problem. “Denying a problem does not mean, it does not exist”, he remarked, while asserting, law and order is a serious problem in Punjab and it needed to be dealt with seriously and sincerely.