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Punjab BJP Ministers, Deputy Speaker quit

CHANDIGARH: Amid sporadic incidents of violence at some places in Punjab, five State Ministers, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries owing allegiance to the BJP tendered their resignations on Tuesday in protest against widespread attacks on their party leaders and workers allegedly by activists of their ruling alliance partner, the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Visibly agitated over the attacks on their cadre by Akali workers during polling for the Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads on Monday, the BJP’s State leadership held a series of meetings which were chaired by the party’s all-India general secretary, Balbir Punj, who is in-charge of the party’s affairs in Punjab. While the dominant opinion during the meetings favoured the party pulling out of the alliance, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal convened a meeting at his official residence which was attended by senior leaders from both parties.

At the meeting, Mr. Punj presented the resignations of the BJP Ministers, Deputy Speaker and the four Chief Parliamentary Secretaries to Mr. Badal, who refused to accept them as both parties were part of the National Democratic Alliance. He suggested that the matter be placed before the NDA Convener. Interestingly, Mr. Punj did not return the letters of resignation to the ministers but kept it with him for discussion with the BJP high command.

In an attempt to assuage the tempers of the BJP delegation, Mr. Badal ordered suspension of the SP and DSP of Tarn Taran, Tejinder Singh Maur and Randhir Singh, respectively, for failing to act in time and prevent the incident in which an Akali MLA Harmeet Singh Sandhu and his supporters caused bullet injuries to supporters of a BJP MLA, Anil Joshi. The Inspector-General of Police for the Border Range was directed to include the role of the Deputy Commissioner and the district police chief of the district in the investigation into the entire episode. The report is to be submitted within a month.

While assuring that the guilty would not be spared at any cost, Mr. Badal ordered proceedings against all those named by the BJP for inciting and carrying out violence against their workers.

Talking to reporters in the presence of the Chief Minister, Mr. Punj appealed to the party rank and file to maintain peace in the State and co-operate with the administration. He also condemned the incident in Bathinda where angry BJP workers damaged buses owned by the Badal family. BJP workers pulled down and burnt huge cut-outs of the Chief Minister and his son Sukhbir Singh who is the president of the Akali Dal.

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