Amarinder questions Jaitley’s silence

Monday, 12/05/2014

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AMRITSAR: For mer chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh questioned Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Arun Jaitley’s silence over the murderous assault on a local lawyer on whose complaint state cabinet minister Anil Joshi was booked in the ‘dual vote’ case.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, he also highlighted the re gistration of a case of attempt to murder against another complainant in t he Joshi case, terming it as a “false case”.

Amarinder, Congress candidate from Amritsar Lok sabha s e at , observed t hat hi s BJP rival Jaitely voices his opinion on each and everything that takes place under the sun, but has maintained an intriguing silence over the recent incidents of murderous assault on a lawyer and a f alse case against another, who happen to be his professional colleagues as he himself is a lawyer.

“Jaitely’s silence on the issue will only amount to his acquiescence and approval of whatever Joshi has been doing in Amritsar”, he remarked.

The Congress leader observed that given his posturing as an aspiring representative of the people of Amritsar, Jaitely is not expected to maintain silence on such a serious issue which has already forced the lawyers here to strike down their work. “Even as a lawyer, he should have at l e as t had some empathy for his fellow colleagues who were being victimised with his patronage”, he said.

Amarinder warned that in case Jaitely did not “tame his people like Joshi who are turning rabid in frustration it can have disastrous consequences and he shall be responsible”.

He said, “An impression has been created that the people who attacked Vineet Mahajan and before that tried to assault Sandeep Gorsi and later got a case of attempt to murder registered against him, are doing it with Jaitely’s patronage, if not at his behest”, he alleged.

“Jaitely’s silence will only reinforce the public perception that he is approving of it and has become a part of political vendetta already being practised in the state by the AkaliBJP alliance”, he added.

Warning of dangerous repercussions, the for mer CM said t hat t here was lot of anger and resentment a mong the Congress workers and it will be difficult to control their anguish.

“And if they decide to retaliate the same way, which they are fully capable of, as the BJP workers are doing, it will have dangerous repercussions for the peace in the holy city, ” he said.