Political terrorism: Congress leaders
Monday, 20/05/2013
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BATALA: The Congress on Sunday alleged that the SAD-BJP alliance had created political terrorism in the state by misusing Punjab civil and police administration to strike fear among the supporters of the opposition parties, which was on display in the run-up to zila parishad and block samiti elections.
Addressing a joint press conference, district Congress committee president and Fatehgarh Churian MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Batala MLA Ashwani Sekhri alleged that it was a “preplanned exercise”.
They claimed that deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had send his men to West Bengal for getting trained in booth capturing and poll violence that was witnessed on Sunday.
Violating all norms, the Akalis assaulted Congress polling agents and forced them to leave even as policemen merely acted as mute spectators, the Congress MLAs claimed.
They said that as MLAs, they were given two gunmen each by Punjab Police whereas so-called SAD’s ‘halka incharges’ whom they had defeated in the assembly election were given 40-50 gunmen and escort vehicles by the state government.
POLLS FAIR: RAKHRA
PATIALA: Amid allegations of booth capturing by SAD workers in his contituency, rural development minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said the zila parishad and block samiti polls end on a free-and-fare note.
The minister said the high polling percentage had written another chapter in the history of the democracy of Punjab.” He added that the SAD would sweep the polls.
