Chandigarh, Apr 9 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on Wednesday attacked the AAP government alleging “deteriorating” law and order in Punjab and sought a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the grenade blast at the residence of BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia.
Unidentified persons hurled a grenade at Kalia’s Jalandhar home early Tuesday, shattering glass panes and damaging vehicles, police said, pinning the blame on an alleged conspiracy by Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to create communal tension in the state.
No one was injured in the blast. Kalia was at home near Shastri Market in Jalandhar when the explosion took place around 1 am.
Majithia on Wednesday visited the residence of Kalia to inquire about his well-being following the blast incident.
The police later arrested two persons in connection with the incident and said it was ISI’s conspiracy of ISI and members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to create communal tension in Punjab.
Speaking to the media in Jalandhar, Majithia also targeted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his “silence” regarding the Jalandhar grenade blast and other incidents of explosions.
“Bhagwant Mann is the home minister and he has not made any statement yet,” said Majithia while referring to the series of blast incidents in the past few months.
He said 17 explosion incidents have taken place in the past few months in the state.
“Has anybody heard about so many such incidents taking place in any state in the country?” he asked while attacking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the law and order issue in the state.
There have been several incidents of explosions, targeting police posts in Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the past four to five months but this was the first such incident when the house of a prominent politician was targeted. Last month, a blast occurred outside a temple in Amritsar.
Asked that AAP has blamed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan’s spy agency ISI for the blast incident, Majithia claimed, “it is a cover up.” “BJP leader Kalia is a big name. If his house is under attack, then you can well imagine what is the law and order in the state,” said Majithia.
“To mislead people, the ISI and Bishnoi have been blamed for this blast incident… This is a misleading information only to mislead the public,” he said about the claims of the Punjab Police.
“If an inquiry is conducted by the NIA or independent agency, then the truth will come out,” he said.
Attacking the AAP dispensation over the law and order situation, Majithia alleged that the state government is “sleeping”.
He also slammed the state government for the alleged failure of police intelligence in preventing such incidents.
Punjab BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa also visited Kalia’s residence in Jalandhar.
He too attacked the AAP government over the law and order situation in the state as he referred to the blast incidents and extortion calls in the state.
“The government has failed badly on every front,” he told the reporters.
Congress MP and former deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying the grenade blast at Kalia’s residence in Jalandhar has sent shock waves in the state.
“May I again bring to your kind attention that there is total failure of intelligence, police and political will to counter the emerging threat,” wrote Randhawa.
“With your vast experience and foresight, may I request you to take immediate remedial steps and pull up this amateur and incompetent AAP government from its slumber,” wrote Randhawa. PTI CHS KSS KSS
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