Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab President Sardar Kewal Singh Dhillon on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, describing the recent bomb attack on the Moga police station as a stark reminder of the alarming collapse of law and order in Punjab. He said that if even police personnel and police stations are no longer secure, the safety of ordinary citizens has effectively been left to fate.
Dhillon said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, has completely failed in his constitutional responsibility to maintain law and order in the state. He asserted that, on moral grounds, the CM Mann should immediately resign from office.
Dhillon said the Moga attack was not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern of bomb blasts, grenade attacks and gangster violence that has marked the AAP government's tenure. He referred to the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, the RPG attack on the Sarhali police station, and the grenade attacks on the Gumtala police post in Amritsar and the historic Thakur Dwara Sanatan Dharam Mandir in Khandwala as evidence of repeated attempts to destabilise peace and security in Punjab.
Alleging that Punjab has become one of the country's most insecure states, Dhillon said gangsters are operating criminal syndicates from inside prisons while law enforcement has failed to instil any fear of the law among criminals. Instead of declining, he said, crime continues to escalate. Extortion threats have become commonplace, and those who refuse to pay are being targeted in broad daylight. Under such circumstances, he added, the average citizen no longer feels safe even during the day.
Dhillon further alleged that while Punjab is facing an unprecedented security crisis, the Chief Minister remains preoccupied with political campaigning and public appearances. He accused the AAP leadership in Delhi of exploiting Punjab's resources while paying little attention to the state's deteriorating security situation.
Stating that the people of Punjab will not forgive the government for its failure to curb crime, Dhillon said the electorate would hold the AAP accountable in the forthcoming Assembly elections for the rising incidents of lawlessness, robberies, murders and bomb attacks. Expressing confidence in the BJP's prospects, Dhillon said the people of Punjab are increasingly looking towards the Bharatiya Janata Party to restore peace, strengthen law enforcement and establish an administration founded on security, stability and the rule of law.