BJP leaders detained after Punjab halts outreach programmes

A day after the state government stopped the Bharatiya Janata Party’s mega outreach programme, ‘BJP de sewadar aa gaye ne tuhade dwar’, being conducted in rural areas, the police on Thursday detained party leaders from various such camps that were being organised across the state.

BJP leader Pritpal Sharma was detained from one such camp being organised at Sukhna Ablu village in the Gidderbaha Assembly segment here. Pritpal’s wife, a PCS officer, is currently posted in Fazilka district.

While being forcibly detained and escorted out of the venue, Pritpal, in a live video on Facebook, said, “The camp was set up to facilitate poor people, but the state government has stooped so low that it is detaining people like me.”

A large number of police personnel, including Gidderbaha DSP Avtar Singh, were present at the spot.

BJP leaders at such camps used to enroll residents for central Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes.

However, the state government on Tuesday ordered a probe into the initiative, alleging that it was being used to illegally collect personal data.

Similarly, the Adampur police in Jalandhar detained BJP leader and ex-LS MP Sushil Rinku while he had gone to supervise arrangements for the camp at Khurdpur village of Adampur. Rinku went live on social media at around 12 noon while he was being taken away by the police from the camp. Two more party workers were detained by the police along with Rinku.

In Shahkot area of Jalandhar, ex-MLA of the BJP KD Bhandari was detained at around 11 am by Shahkot police while he had gone to attend the same camp at Roopewal mandi near the town. Local BJP leaders Rana Hardeep Singh and Dr Amarjit Thind came in their support. The party leaders said that Bhandari had been shifted to Bilga police station to avoid any crowding of BJP workers.

Party leaders, including ex-minister Manoranjan Kalia termed the move of the Punjab government and Punjab police uncalled for.

“The ground that the government is giving that the private operators roped in by the BJP were collecting data of the locals is completely frivolous. The political party leaders generally have data of the locals and there are several ways to get that done. The AAP government has stopped our camps as the party leaders were wary of our party gaining ground in the village areas where they have been fast losing base. They were feeling insecure of our presence in the rural belt. These are the camps of GOI and were meant to provide schemes to the have-nots. The state government cannot disrupt the Centre from providing welfare schemes to the masses,” he said.

Jalandhar BJP youth leader Ashok Sareen Hicky also termed the move of the state government as an ‘attempt to scuttle’ the GOI schemes from reaching the downtrodden.

Mohali District BJP chief detained

Meanwhile, Mohali District BJP chief Sanjeev Vashisht and workers were detained during the outreach programme at Nagla village on Thursday morning.

SP, DSP initiated police action in the presence of the Dera Bassi SDM.

Vashisht and BJP leaders accused Punjab’s AAP government of “forcibly stopping” its public outreach programme by using police.

The government has asked people to report such cases and said any collection or use of personal data without consent was a punishable offence.

Party workers protest in Ludhiana

The Ludhiana police on Thursday detained the BJP Ludhiana District Rural President Sunny Kainth when he along with the party workers were at office at Flower Enclave in Dugri. Kainth and the workers were to attend a Centre’s outreach programme in the villages, but he was detained before he could move out of his office. He was taken to the Dugri police station.

After the development, BJP workers gathered outside the police station and started protest. Workers while raising slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party government said that they would not lift dharna if Sunny Kainth is not released.

BJP District President Rajneesh Dhiman said that through these camps, they are making people aware about the schemes of the Central Government and are also getting them registered in the schemes.

BJP leaders alleged that the Punjab government is intentionally creating hurdles and stopping BJP workers from organising camps.

At the time filing this report, protest was continuing.

Bathinda