Punjab BJP President Sunil Jakhar today said the state machinery in Punjab has miserably failed to ensure the right of campaign of BJP candidates in poll fray. Without providing an equal platform to campaign, the election process will be rendered futile, Jakhar said.
In a memorandum to the CEO Punjab Sibin C, Jakhar expressed grave apprehension on the possible collusion of the ruling AAP and other parties in causing obstructions and encumbrances in the campaign of BJP candidates. He was accompanied by State General Secretaries Parminder Brar & Jagmohan Raju, State Legal Cell Convenor NK Verma and State Media Head Vineet Joshi.
He said the possibility of anti-social elements sneaking under the garb of farmer protest and creating havoc for BJP candidates cannot be ruled out. Jakhar said if the state Election machinery does not intervene to check this well planned conspiracy against the BJP, it would vitiate the elections rendering both the process and the final outcome unfair.
Sunil Jakhar highlighted the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab while underlining the ongoing disruptions and denial of the right to campaign to BJP candidates. “It remains the responsibility of the Punjab Electoral Office, the state administrative and police apparatus to ensure BJP candidates have unhindered access to every part to exert their democratic right to campaign. However, dozens of incidents in the recent past and the latest incident in Patiala, where a farmer died falling on his own on the road during the campaign of BJP candidate Perneet Kaur, present a picture in contrast of conspiracy that needs immediate attention,” he said in the memorandum.
The apprehension of collusion of political parties including the AAP, SAD and the Congress in scripting such disruptions for BJP candidates looms large, Jakhar said. The state machinery, he added, cannot act as a conduit to facilitate such obstructions. Jakhar said these parties are clearly rattled by the increasing footprints of the BJP in Punjab.
The state BJP chief said, the BJP does not want to foresee any escalation or repeat of such incidents, but the present situation on ground if not checked has the potential to spiral out of control leading to untoward incidents and clashes, resulting in derailing/unsettling the election process in Punjab.
Jakhar said the State DGP, Chief Secretary needs to be put on notice for lapses that are leading to obstruction in BJP campaign and resulting in amplified threat to security of party candidates in poll fray. Protests and obstructions during elections cannot take place without prior permission and notice, he said lamenting that what was happening at the ground level augments the BJPs apprehensions of a sponsored link to the ongoing disruptions.