Tarn Taran clash: BJP sets 24-hr deadline for action against Akalis

Friday, 13/02/2015

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ULTIMATUM ENDS AT 5PM TODAY, POLL BOYCOTT AMONG OPTIONS; AKALI DISTRICT UNIT SEEKS JOSHI’S OUSTER

CHANDIGARH: A day after the Parkash Singh Badal-led government set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the alleged attack on the brother of BJP minister Anil Joshi in his hometown Tarn Taran, the saffron party escalated the issue, serving a 24-hour ultimatum on senior partner Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to arrest local SAD workers allegedly involved in the attack and act against police officers.

The ultimatum, given by the Punjab BJP core group after a two-hour meet chaired by state chief Kamal Sharma, ends at 5pm on Friday. A four-member team of the BJP, led by Sharma, would also visit Tarn Taran on Friday to assess the situation. Some leaders suggested that, in case the government failed to act, the BJP should boycott the Tarn Taran civic polls, in which the allies remained at loggerheads.

The SAD hit back through its local leadership, who demanded that Joshi be removed from the BJP. “Joshi is a threat to the SADBJP alliance and also to Hindu-Sikh unity; hence we call upon the state BJP chief to get rid of him from the party,” said Bhupinder Singh Khera, former president of the Tarn Taran municipal council, and SAD district (urban) president Manjor Kumar Timma.

THE DEMANDS

Under the ultimatum, registration of a case of attempt to murder has been sought against the four men seen wielding pistols in the footage of Tuesday’s attack on BJP workers, including former councillor Raja Joshi, who is the younger brother of local bodies minister Anil Joshi. Further, the BJP wants dismissal of the city police station house officer (SHO), who was present at clash spot, and the transfer of senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manmohan Sharma.

The clash had erupted over alleged discrepancies in the voter list. State BJP president Kamal Sharma, who chaired the core group meeting, later told the media that if the government failed to act the group would again meet on Friday to decide further course of action.

As for Joshi, who had on Wednesday blamed the “team” of top SAD leader and state revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia for the attack, he remained incommunicado on Wednesday.

The BJP core group also decided that a four-member team led by Sharma and comprising Union minister Vijay Sampla, BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh, and former state unit president Brij Lal Rinwa, would visit the place of the clash; top officers of the police and civil administration have been asked to be present. According to Sampla, the visit would “boost the morale of party workers”. Chugh told HT that the video footage was seen by the core group and “it has really shocked everyone”. He said, “We will not name anyone, but the police must take action against all those who attacked BJP workers and were wielding pistols.” He added that the party high command had been informed and was keeping a “close watch” on the developments.