The BJP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday traded sharp accusations over Punjab's law-and-order situation, with state BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon alleging a complete breakdown of security under the Bhagwant Mann government, while Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema claimed significant success in bringing fugitive gangsters back from abroad.
Dhillon accused the AAP government of attempting to conceal the deteriorating security situation and taking credit for arrests and extraditions carried out with the involvement of central agencies.
His remarks followed Cheema's claim that Punjab Police had brought back 17 gangsters from foreign countries within six months, a record he said previous governments had failed to achieve over several decades.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐
In a statement, Dhillon alleged that law and order had completely collapsed in Punjab and accused the state government of making attempts to hide the situation.
"The law and order situation in Punjab has completely collapsed, and the state government is making shameless attempts to conceal this grim reality," he said.
The BJP leader claimed that international arrests and extraditions involved central agencies, including the Ministry of External Affairs, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Interpol, along with Indian diplomatic missions.
He accused Cheema of claiming political credit for operations conducted through these institutions while ignoring the security concerns of Punjab residents.
Dhillon held Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, responsible for the alleged deterioration.
He said the government had failed to protect innocent lives and demanded accountability for incidents of violence and organised crime.
๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐
Referring to the killing of anti-drug campaigner Parvinder Singh Jhota in Mansa last month, Dhillon alleged that the incident exposed the government's failure to protect those working against narcotics trafficking.
He claimed that drug cartels, gangsters and extortionists were operating with impunity while anti-drug activists faced threats to their lives.
The BJP president further alleged that prisons in Punjab had become operational centres for organised criminal networks.
According to Dhillon, gang leaders were continuing to direct extortion and other illegal activities from inside jails.
He demanded that the state government explain why traders, doctors and ordinary citizens were allegedly living under constant fear.
The BJP also accused the AAP administration of failing to dismantle the nexus between drug traffickers and gangsters.
These allegations were made by the opposition party and were not accompanied by independently verified evidence establishing government complicity.
๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ' ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง
Earlier, addressing reporters, Cheema defended the state government's record and said Punjab Police had facilitated the return of 17 gangsters from foreign countries in the past six months.
He claimed that previous administrations had failed to achieve comparable results despite being in power for decades.
Highlighting the latest operation, Cheema referred to the deportation of Gurwinder Singh, alias Afridi, from Ethiopia.
According to the minister, Afridi carried a reward of Rs 5 lakh and faced more than 30 criminal cases.
Cheema maintained that the Mann government had intensified its action against fugitives and organised criminal networks since assuming office.
He presented the return of wanted criminals as evidence of the state police's efforts to tackle gangster-related activities.
๐๐ก๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ง๐จ๐ข
The finance minister also accused the BJP of encouraging gangster networks and alleged that criminals were being used to destabilise opposition-ruled states.
"Wherever the BJP is in power, it has nurtured gangsters. The objective is to send these gangsters in states governed by the opposition to disrupt law and order," Cheema alleged.
He specifically referred to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in Gujarat's Sabarmati Jail.
Cheema alleged that Bishnoi was being treated like a "state guest" by the BJP government and claimed that threats originating from the jailed gangster were being used to intimidate opposition-governed states.
"Lawrence Bishnoi has been kept like a state guest by the BJP," he said.
The minister did not present independently verified evidence supporting his allegation that the BJP was directing gangster activities against political opponents.
The exchange underscored the continuing political confrontation over organised crime, drug trafficking and public safety in Punjab, with both parties accusing each other of failing to address the gangster menace.