Former minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today said Congress goons had let loose a reign of terror in this as well as other constituencies in the Majha region by intimidating block samiti and zila parishad candidates and there was every possibility of large scale rigging and violence on voting day tomorrow.Addressing a press conference here, Mr Bikram Majithia enjoined upon the Akali rank and file to participate in the democratic process in a peaceful manner and record all wrong doings of the Congress party so that the SAD could take recourse to legal action.Stating that the Congress party had imposed an Emergency like situation in the State, the Akali leader said the situation had become such that the Congress was even getting cases filed against victims of repression. He said two days back after the son of a dalit candidate was insulted and another was dragged by his beard at Chaugawana Saadpur village in Majithia, he had personally led a dharna in front of the Jandiala Guru police station to demand justice in the case. “Though a case was registered under section 295 A and we were assured other sections would also be taken into account, today a cross case was registered against the victims under the SC Prevention of Cruelty Act”.Stating that Congress leader Lalli Majithia and his nephew Akashdeep were behind this incident, the Akali leader said party candidates were also stopped from campaigning and women candidates were being threatened that cases would be registered against their husbands if they showed active interest in the election process.
Mr Majithia said despite these constraints, Akali workers would lead the fight against the Congress at the ground level and would not be cowed down by such intimidating tactics. He said the SAD had organized four public meetings as part of the block samiti and zila parishad elections in Majitha which received overwhelming response from the people of the constituency who had always stood with the SAD.The Akali leader also disclosed that the rebel AAP group of Sukhpal Khaira and Kanwar Sandhu had joined hands with the Congress party and was actively supporting Congress candidates. “The rebel group has not put up its own candidates”, he said adding the AAP presence in the elections was negligible. “In Amritsar elections are being held on 25 zila parishad seats. AAP has fielded candidates on only four seats. All this proves that it is only the SAD which is providing real opposition to the Congress”, he added.Mr Majithia also highlighted how officers were not being allowed to work and that interference by Congress leaders had resulted in a total breakdown of law and order in the State. “The daring Rs six crore jewellary heist in Amritsar as well as murder of a police officer’s mother are recent examples of paralysis in governance”, he added.Speaking on the occasion, former CPS Virsa Singh Valtoha disclosed that nomination papers of a large number of Akali candidates had been rejected in both Khemkaran and Tarn Taran block samiti seats. He said in Khemkaran nomination papers had been rejected in 34 out of 42 seats and in Tarn Taran 16 out of 27 seats. EOM