Cong to boycott Rampura MC, 4 Nagar Councils - Kangar alleges SAD killing democracy, Maluka rubbishes all charges

Monday, 16/02/2015

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Bathinda : In the aftermath of poll violence that took place outside the Phul sub-divisional administrative complex on Friday, in which a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporter was allegedly killed by a People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) leader and his accomplices, the Congress on Sunday announced to boycott the forthcoming elections of Rampura Municipal Council as well as all four Nagar Panchayats falling in Rampura Phul assembly segment.

Leading a delegation of Congress leaders and workers, the party’s Malwa zone vice-president Gurpreet Singh Kangar claimed that the decision to boycott the polls was taken in the wake of anti-democratic attitude of police.

Kangar accused the police of doing injustice with the Congressmen on the behest of the ruling SAD, especially the Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, who represents Rampura Phul constituency in Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Referring to the FIR registered against 13 persons by name and 20 others as unidentified for shooting dead the SAD supporter Gurvir Singh ‘Goldy’ outside Phul administrative complex, the Congress vice-president alleged that police booked several Congressmen, including four party candidates who had gone there to file nomination papers for Mehraj Nagar Panchayat.

Going ahead, he alleged that the five persons of Mehraj village arrested from the Tehsildar office were nowhere involved in the violence but the police acted as the ‘SAD goons in uniform’ and held them on the directions being issued by one Harinder Singh ‘Hinda’, a right hand man of Maluka.

“When I went to the police station to enquire about the matter, the SAD leaders present there also manhandled me, they even went on damaging my SUV, all in the presence of policemen but no cop dared to protect me,” alleged Kangar.

Stating that the jawans of Central forces who were attached with him were also withdrawn on February 2, the Congress leader mentioned that he doubted it to be a part of well chalked-out conspiracy.

“Amid such circumstances, we are confident that the SAD, particularly Maluka’s goon were hell bent upon rigging the polls so discussing the whole matter at party level, we have decided to boycott all Municipality and Nagar Panchayat elections in Rampura Phul assembly segment,” he announced, in the presence of 100-odd partymen, including the party’s district president (rural) Gura Singh Tungwali and his predecessor Narender Bhaleria.

Asked about the role of prime accused-the PPP leader Lakhvir Singh ‘Lakha’ Sidhana, Kangar refrained from speaking anything.

“I was not present on the spot, so it will be incorrect to comment against anyone on such a serious subject. My concern is just for those seven-eight Congressmen, whom the police have implicated in the case without any guilt,” he maintained.

It is pertinent to mention here that Kangar and Lakha had unsuccessfully contested the Punjab Vidhan Sabha 2012 polls against SAD’s Sikander Singh Maluka.