The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lamented the recent election violence in Moga and said that the law and order in Punjab had been ruined and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh was running a 'banana republic', giving a free hand to the goons within his own party. Addressing the media during a press conference convened here on Thursday, senior leader of the party and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Punjab Assembly, Harpal Singh Cheema, said that Captain had failed to maintain law and order in the state and should resign immediately. He said that the Aam Aadmi Party had raised the issue multiple times and said that the Congress party could resort to violence through its goons to loot the elections in Punjab."The result of this has been seen yet again. In Moga, day before yesterday, two persons were mowed down by Congress goons while stopping a SAD candidate from campaigning. But Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh is sleeping in his royal farmhouse instead of cracking down on Congress goons," he added. Cheema said this sort of violence had been repeated time and again. He said that earlier, the AAP candidates in Zira, were intimidated and threatened. They were forced against filing their nominations. He said in Ferozepur, Congress goons snatched away the nomination papers of the AAP candidates, while in Jagraon and Sunam, Congress goons threatened and abducted the party candidates.
Cheema further said that in Jalalabad, the AAP candidates were severely assaulted for exercising their democratic rights. "Time and again we have raised these issues of violence being perpetrated by the Congress goons and time and again Captain Amarinder has turned a blind eye to this," he added. He said that the hooliganism carried out by the Congressmen in Punjab to loot the elections had now reached to such an extent, that people were now killed, to prevent them from campaigning. Cheema said that surprisingly, instead of taking action against the goons, Captain was instructing them to resort to violence."We demand the immediate resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh for failing in maintaining law and order in the state. Captain's shocking silence on the ensuing violence seems to tell us that Captain himself is guiding his goons to conduct these violent acts," he said. Cheema said that they had brought this to the notice of the State Election Commissioner multiple times, but he also did not pay any attention to it. "It looks like the State Election Commissioner is working on the orders of the Captain government," he added. He said that after the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, the perpetrators of such hooliganism in the state would be severely punished. "Every step would be taken to restore the democratic process and peace in the state," he added.