The Aam Aadmi Party has strongly condemned the statements made by BJP leader Manjinder Sirsa in support of the gangsters who murdered cloth merchant Sanjay Verma in Abohar. In protest, AAP leaders and workers held large-scale demonstrations in Jalandhar, Pathankot, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Abohar, and several other cities.
Ministers, MLAs, and several senior party officials of AAP participated in the protests. AAP leaders said that the BJP has always acted against Punjab's interest and law. They said gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is being politically protected by the BJP-led central government.
On one hand, the BJP claims that there is no law and order in Punjab, and on the other, when the AAP government takes action against gangsters, BJP leaders come out in their support. This double standard will no longer be tolerated.
AAP MLAs said that Manjinder Sirsa and all BJP leaders must apologize to the people of Punjab. The BJP is opposing the encounter of gangsters, and its leader Manjinder Sirsa is threatening the Punjab government with legal action for killing gangsters.
They said that the Mann government is eliminating gangsters. Any interference by the Centre in Punjab will no longer be tolerated. They said that Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress are struggling with their diminishing existence in Punjab, which is why they are targeting the Aam Aadmi Party.
They said the Mann government has taken it upon itself to eliminate gangsters from Punjab, while the central government and the entire BJP are providing shelter to these criminals. This will not be tolerated at any cost. This is the cheap politics of the BJP. They asserted that the Akali Dal, BJP, and Congress are all the same. The prosperity of Punjab does not suit these parties. But now they will have to answer to the public.
AAP leaders said that Congress, Akali Dal, and BJP have no work in Punjab. That is why they are constantly trying to disturb the environment of the state by raising one issue after another. But the AAP government will not tolerate this at any cost.
They said that Punjab has suffered for decades, be it due to gangsters, drugs, or the water crisis, there has always been an attempt to weaken Punjab. But now, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the AAP government is continuously taking action against criminals, gangsters, and drug traffickers and prioritising the safety of the people of Punjab. That is why opposition parties are feeling threatened.