Urban Naxals on the loose in state, says BJP

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 27

Taking exception to the damage caused to the telecommunication infrastructure in the state, the BJP on Sunday claimed the "urban Naxal" forces seemed to be having a field day, while Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had failed to maintain law and order.

Tarun Chugh, BJP general secretary, said: "Of late, the state has seen several incidents such as blockade of roads and railway tracks, taking over of toll plazas and uprooting of telecommunication lines. The police have failed to rein in disruptive forces."

He also claimed that in the name of farmers' agitation, Naxal forces had been let loose in the state. "I urge farmer leaders to make sure that disruptive elements do not defame their cause."

Need to rein them in

Of late, the state has seen several incidents such as blockade of roads and railway tracks, taking over of toll plazas and uprooting of telecommunication lines. The police have failed to rein in disruptive forces. —Tarun Chugh, BJP General Secretary

The BJP leader also hit out at the Chief Minister, who, he said, seemed to be pushing the state towards a red corridor. "The situation in Punjab is becoming similar to that seen in pockets of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand," he added.

Meanwhile, in an open letter to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, state BJP general secretary Shubash Sharma said he should adhere to 'raj dharma'.

He alleged the state was already paying the price for his failure as a Chief Minister, but now his patronage to the alleged criminal elements and unleashing violence against his political opponents was dragging the state back to days of political violence. "The state, the citizens, the economy and sociology cannot afford to have another round of violence."

The CM was doing this to shield his failures of the past four years, he said, adding the state couldn't afford to pay the price for this misadventure.

He said the CM had failed at an opportunity when the state could have transformed the agriculture portfolio, instead used cheap political tactics to flare up the emotions of the farming community. The violence against political leaders and failing to provide protection to the investors' property are actually pushing the state in the hands of miscreants.

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