Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday welcomed the suggestion for deployment of paramilitary forces for the Shahkot bypoll, saying it would deprive the Opposition, particularly the Akalis, of the chance to accuse the state government of interference in the wake of their imminent defeat in the election.Captain Amarinder said he had no objection to the EC deploying paramilitary forces to ensure peace during the bypoll, as demanded by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). In fact, he said he welcomed any such move as it would deprive the Akalis of the opportunity to take refuge in the frivolous and fabricated excuse of misuse of official machinery after the result of the bypoll, which they are all set to lose ignominiously. Captain Amarinder said it was ironical that the Akalis, who had abused all the democratic systems during their own regime, using all possible tools to prevent the Congress from taking over the state’s reins, were now running to the Election Commission to seek paramilitary forces to ensure peaceful polls. But neither he personally nor his government nor the Congress party would oppose any decision by the EC to pull paramilitary forces into the Shahkot election security system, said the Chief Minister.
The Akalis were in the habit of complaining of government interference and alleging violation of the model code of conduct before and after every election, particularly when they were staring at certain defeat, said the Chief Minister, pointing to the Gurdaspur by-eletion, when SAD had resorted to similar tactics.With the writing on the wall once again pointing to a certain Congress victory in Shahkot, the Akalis were in a state of total panic and were grabbing at any and every straw to sway public sentiment in their favour, said the Chief Minister, asserting that their manoeuvres would not mislead the people now.The Akalis had been thoroughly exposed for their anti-people stance and their cheap tactics, which they were once again desperately deploying to divert voter attention from their own misdoings during their decade-long rule, Captain Amarinder said.SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal’s brazen support of Mehtapur SHO, who was now found by the Election Commission itself to be unfit for duty, was part of the Akali campaign to malign the Congress leadership and government ahead of the poll, which was all set to seal their fate in Punjab’s political journey, the Chief Minister added.The Akalis never had any respect for the Constitutional systems and processes, and evidently looked at every election a battle to be won by hook or by crook, said Captain Amarinder, urging the EC to take any steps it deemed necessary to ensure a free and fair by-election in Shahkot.