Mann must be booked for sedition, Jakhar says over CM statement on twin blasts

Punjab BJP on Thursday sought registration of a sedition case against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for blaming the saffron party for the twin blasts in the state, claiming that he has given Pakistan a point to defend itself when India raises Pak-sponsored terrorism on global forums.

Punjab BJP on Thursday sought registration of a sedition case against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for blaming the saffron party for the twin blasts in the state, claiming that he has given Pakistan a point to defend itself when India raises Pak-sponsored terrorism on global forums. The party further accused Mann and AAP of trying to foment communal trouble in Punjab by making such statements against the BJP. In a police complaint, party leaders questioned Mann's claim against the BJP even as the DGP has attributed the blasts to ISI-backed elements. A delegation of senior Punjab BJP leaders, led by state unit chief Sunil Jakhar, handed over the complaint to a senior police officer at the Punjab Police headquarters in Chandigarh. The delegation had gone to meet DGP Gaurav Yadav, but Yadav deputed Special DGP A S Rai to meet them instead, apparently under pressure from the AAP government, Jakhar claimed. Two blasts that took place near security establishments rocked Punjab on Tuesday night. The first explosion occurred around 8 pm outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar, while the second blast happened at around 11 pm near the Army camp in Amritsar's Khasa. Speaking to reporters in Anandpur Sahib on Wednesday, Mann blamed the BJP of the explosions, even as DGP Gaurav Yadav said in Amritsar that Pakistan's ISI could be behind the acts. Mann had alleged that the BJP was trying to create an atmosphere of fear in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections. ''The BJP is a communal party. The assembly elections are over in West Bengal, and they (the BJP) have said that now it is Punjab's turn, which indicates that these minor blasts are part of their preparation for the Punjab assembly elections,'' Mann had said. The BJP leaders on Thursday accused Mann of pinning blame on the saffron party to instigate communal riots in Punjab. Jakhar said the BJP would write to the Government of India demanding an NIA (National Investigation Agency) probe into the chief minister's statement, and would use every possible democratic means to protect Punjab's communal harmony and stop AAP's ''divisive agenda''. He further said the statement was part of a big conspiracy to spread poison in Punjab. ''The chief minister should be questioned on who asked him to make such a statement,'' the state BJP chief said, claiming that Mann was acting merely as ''a pawn in a larger conspiracy orchestrated by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal''. He also attacked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claiming that it intends to provoke communal tensions in Punjab for political gains. ''The fact that multiple AAP leaders are making similar statements proves this is part of a choreographed and coordinated strategy by the party leadership to sow hatred in Punjab,'' Jakhar said. He also demanded the registration of a sedition case against Mann for his statement blaming the BJP. ''Mann's statement on the bomb blasts is not only dangerous for communal harmony but also seditious. Whenever India raises the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism at international forums, Pakistan could now use the chief minister's video statement in its defence,'' he said. Pointing out that Punjab's greatest strength is its communal harmony, Jakhar vowed that the BJP would never allow anyone to destroy it. Reiterating the BJP's allegation that Mann had attended the recent special assembly session in an inebriated state, Jakhar said the chief minister had already ''lost the moral right'' to remain in office, and his latest statement further proved his ''incompetence.'' The state BJP chief asked Mann to present evidence for his statement or face action. He said Arvind Kejriwal should be included in the investigation because the entire AAP leadership is allegedly making similar statements aimed at disturbing peace in Punjab. Jakhar was accompanied by Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma and MLAs Jangi Lal Mahajan, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Manoranjan Kalia, Tikshan Sood, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Kewal Dhillon, S S Virk, P S Gill, Rakesh Rathour, Parminder Singh Brar and Vineet Joshi.