Chandigarh, Oct 15 (PTI) Congress leader Sachin Pilot will begin a five-day visit to Punjab on October 16 and meet the families of gang-fight victims.
The party’s in-charge for Punjab will visit Moga, Bathinda, Mansa, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar – 11 districts in all, according to a party statement.
In each district, Pilot will visit homes of families of gang violence victims to hear their accounts of the crimes and of the response they received from the police and the state government, it said.
“Many of these killings have been claimed by or linked to organised gangs. Several families have waited for months, and some years, for arrests, chargesheets or a fair trial. The purpose of the yatra is to give these families a voice,” it said.
Pilot’s visit to these families suggests that the Congress will make law and order a major plank of its campaign against the AAP government in the coming election.
Meanwhile, Pilot met Congress MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in Delhi, and both discussed issues related to Punjab.
“Met @SachinPilot ji at my Delhi residence today. We had a constructive discussion on Punjab issues and the roadmap & strategy for the 2027 Assembly elections.
“I am confident that Pilot Sahab’s vast political experience will be immensely helpful and together we will ensure a victory for @INCPunjab in the upcoming elections,” Warring said on X.
Punjab Congress chief Pargat Singh attacked the Aam Aadmi Party government over alleged extortion threats and shooting incidents.
He said after four-and-a-half years of AAP rule, the “deteriorating” law and order has left people in Punjab feeling unsafe.
“Traders and ordinary citizens are increasingly worried about their security, with businessmen allegedly being targeted with gunfire when they refuse to pay extortion money,” said the Jalandhar Cantt MLA.
Every trader and small business owner in Punjab deserves a safe and secure environment, not an inefficient government and a system of governance imposed from Delhi, he said.
Pargat Singh, an ex-India hockey captain, said that when businessmen in Punjab begin to fear extortion threats and gunfire, serious questions are bound to arise over the government’s accountability.
The leader said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the Home portfolio, cannot evade responsibility for the law and order situation.
“From small shopkeepers to large business owners, everyone deserves an environment in which they can conduct their business without fear. Traders should have the opportunity to expand their businesses and generate employment, rather than remain anxious about the safety of themselves and their families,” said the Congress leader. PTI CHS VN
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