Perneet Singh & Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, May 11
The electoral battle in the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency got mired in a controversy today with Bhullar community members and BKU-Sidhupur activists staging a protest outside a public meeting venue of SAD candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who in turn sat on a dharna on Maur-Rampura road along with the party workers.
The trouble started when the protesters, holding black flags, laid siege to a dharamshala at Mandi Kalan village where the Akalis had planned a public meeting.
The situation was finally defused around 9 pm after SSP Dr Nanak Singh held talks with the Akali leaders and conceded to their demand that they be allowed to hold the public meeting at the same venue. SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and ex-minister Sikander Singh Maluka too had reached the site by then.
The protesters, including women and children, were adamant that they will not allow the SAD candidate to address the meeting.
Bhullar community leader Baldev Singh said, “We are staging the protest over two issues — sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and the SGPC’s failure to resolve a long-pending land dispute regarding our religious place located on Mehraj road at Rampura.”
He revealed that the BKU activists also joined their protest, as they were upset over the non-implementation of Swaminathan Commission report by the Modi government.
Incidentally, Baldev Singh is the same person who had tried to raise some questions before Harsimrat during her visit to the Rose Garden in Bathinda on May 5. However, she chose to walk away, saying, “It is time for elections and not answering queries.”
Baldev had then stated that the Bhullar community will not vote for the SAD in these elections.
Harsimrat did not reach the Mandi Kalan venue, where her public meeting was scheduled for 4 pm, in view of the protest and instead blocked the Maur-Rampura road at 6.30 pm along with former minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon and party workers.
The Akalis raised slogans against the state administration. Earlier in the day, Harsimrat had released a video alleging that the Congress government was trying to disrupt her campaign by sending troublemakers to her public meetings. She also charged the district and police administration with ignoring the complaint lodged by them in this regard.
She said, “It is absolutely shocking that no action has been initiated despite the fact that we’ve given the inputs to Bathinda SSP. The Congress, which is staring at a defeat here, is sending anti-social elements to disrupt my public meetings, which will also compromise my security. If any trouble breaks out and somebody gets injured, CM Capt Amarinder Singh, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal and Congress candidate Raja Warring will be responsible.”
When contacted, Bathinda SSP Dr Nanak Singh said adequate security had been provided to the SAD candidate.
Earlier, SAD (Amirtsar) activists reportedly showed black flags to Harsimrat over the sacrilege issue at Ballianwali village in the district.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2VjH5Rs
via Today’s News Headlines
Reviewed by Online News Services
on
May 12, 2019
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