Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh today sought immediate arrest of Akali legislator Virsa Singh Valtoha for his caste slur against the party’s senior Dalit leader and MLA Tarlochan Soond inside the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.He also announced that the party will stage statewide protests at block level tomorrow to protest the incident and press for his immediate arrest.The former Chief Minister apprehended violent elections in the state with so many criminal gangs active and the government making the parole norms for criminals easy.Addressing a press conference here today, Capt Amarinder along with AICC in charge for Punjab Ms Asha Kumari, Campaign Committee Chairperson Ms Ambika Soni, AICC Secretary Harish Chaudhary, Tarlochan Soond and others, regretted that the Vidhan Sabha Speaker Mr Charanjit Singh Atwal, despite himself being a Dalit and all other Dalit Akali and BJP MLAs in the Vidhan Sabha had turned a deaf ear to the incident, just not to risk their chances of getting Akali and BJP tickets again.The PCC president pointed out, Valtoha was a serial offender and a psychopath who had killed seven innocent people during terrorism and needs a mental treatment in a lunatic asylum.
“If anyone else would have made such remarks he would have immediately been arrested, why not Valtoha?” he asked.The former Chief Minister wondered as how the Speaker had summarily dismissed Soond’s complaint summarily without ordering an inquiry. He did not rule out the tampering of the Vidhan Sabha recording at the behest of the Akalis as the Speaker had already taken a blatantly biased side in their favour.The PCC president said, while nobody shall approve of hurling a shoe at anyone, what happened in the Vidhan Sabha was the reaction to a provocation and anguish and anger of a community against castiest and criminal intimidation resorted to by people like Valtoha.Capt Amarinder said, people like Valtoha were being deliberately propped up by the Badals to intimidate the Dalits and other minorities. Besides, he added, the presence of over 50 organised criminal gangs and the government’s decision to make parole easy, are dangerous signs ahead of elections.On the ticket allotment, Capt Amarinder said that the process of screening the applications was going on.
He said, the specific dockets for the purpose provided by the AICC were currently being filled up and these will be submitted to the AICC soon. He said, the Congress tickets were decided according to a proper procedure and the final authority is always that of the Congress president.On the controversy over the naming of the Chandigarh International Airport, Capt Amarinder criticised both the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Haryana for trying to play petty politics about it. He pointed out, it had already been agreed upon by both the states that the airport will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh. “Chandigarh or Mohali is insignificant, what matters, is that it must be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh and everyone had agreed on that”, he said.Those present on the occasion included senior leaders Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Avatar Henry, Amarjit Singh Samra, Tajinder Bittu, Rajinder Beri, Jagbir Brar, Satnam Kainth, Vikram Chaudhary and others.