Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday slammed Parkash Singh Badal led government's draconian move to set up a new jail to lodge protestors and activists in the election year. Reacting to such a retrogressive and repressive plan of the SAD-BJP alliance government, AAP Member Parliament from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann said the move reminded him of the tyranny of the British rule in India before India attained independence. Maan was referring to the media reports that the Punjab Prisons Department was constructing a jail for lodging protesters involved in political agitations in the state.The report said the jail at Goindwal spread over 84 acres would have a capacity for 2,780 inmates and was being constructed at a cost of about Rs 200 crore. Mann said only the despotic minds such as of Badal and his deputy chief minister son Sukhbir Singh Badal could think of setting up a jail in the election year rather than doing something constructive and positive for the people of Punjab.
" Instead of spending Rs. 200 crore on the welfare of the people or for constructing hospitals or schools the cash strapped Badal government is squandering public money on shutting his political opponents in the jail", said Mann.Mann said moreover holding peaceful agitations and a protest demonstration to show anger and unhappiness towards the ruling government is a constitutional right of any Indian citizen. He said the construction of jail to lodge political opponents not only showed the nervousness of the Badal government but also gave an insight into their autocratic mind. "Anticipating about their imminent and humiliating defeat in the 2017 assembly polls at the hands of AAP, Badals and other Akali leaders are perhaps preparing a safe haven for themselves", quipped Mann.Mann dared Badals to stop hundreds of farmers, students, employees, those hurt either by sacrilege incidents or by the unilateral apology granted to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, from agitating against the government's anti people policies and people of Punjab would give them a befitting reply by voting them out of power in 2017 assembly polls.