Mohali-Senior Congress leader and former Health Minister S. Balbir Singh Sidhu and Punjab Congress Working President Dr Raj Kumar Verka, during an important press conference in Mohali, launched a sharp attack on the anti-people policies of the BJP-led Central Government and the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab. They said that instead of addressing the real issues confronting the people, both governments are attempting to suppress the people’s voice and promote a politics of political polarisation.
Dr Raj Kumar Verka termed the incident of ‘purification’ that took place after Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji’s programme in Haldwani as highly condemnable, saying that it raises serious questions about the democratic and social values of the country. He said that despite such caste-based treatment being meted out to Shri Mallikarjun Kharge Ji, no concrete action has been taken by the BJP government against those responsible.
He questioned why the BJP-led Central Government remains silent when such humiliating behaviour is meted out to the national president of the country’s largest opposition party. He said that such incidents create divisions in society and go against the spirit of the constitutional right to equality.
Dr. Verka said that when Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji raised his voice against this anti-Dalit mindset and the incident, instead of listening to the people’s voice and taking action against those responsible, an FIR was registered against Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji himself. He said this exposes the BJP government’s double standards—while it remains silent on the humiliation of Dalits, those who raise their voice against such injustice are being targeted.
He said that the Punjab Congress is raising strong questions with the Central Government over the BJP’s anti-Dalit mindset and double standards. He demanded that immediate legal action be taken against those responsible for the Haldwani incident and that the Central Government clarify its position on the matter.
He said that the attempt by Uttarakhand BJP president Mahendra Bhatt to justify the incident makes the matter even more serious. He said that the BJP high command must take serious note of the issue and initiate strict action against the leaders responsible.
Dr. Verka said that just as the BJP is pursuing divisive and polarising politics, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab is also engaged in suppressing the voice of the people. He said that instead of providing justice to farmers, teachers, sanitation workers and other sections of society who raise their voices for their rights, they are subjected to repression and cases are registered against them.
Referring to the incident involving the assault of a young man from Shero village in Sangrur and the alleged disrespect of the Sikh articles of faith, he said that instead of intimidating a young person who raises his voice against drugs, the government should listen to his concerns. He said that the drug problem in Punjab is becoming increasingly serious and the government must take concrete and effective action to break the drug supply chain.
Dr. Verka said that inflation, unemployment, drugs, law and order, and the basic problems of the people in Punjab are continuously becoming more serious, but instead of working on these issues, the government is preoccupied with political publicity. He said that both the BJP-led Central Government and the AAP government in Punjab must answer the people and explain where the governments have failed in controlling the drug supply and strengthening law and order.
S. Balbir Singh Sidhu and Dr. Raj Kumar Verka announced that the Congress Party will further amplify its voice for the rights of the people and their constitutional rights. The struggle against the anti-people policies of the BJP and AAP governments will be intensified across the state.
They informed that a major protest demonstration will be organised by the entire leadership of the Congress Party in Chandigarh on September 8. Various issues, including inflation, drugs, unemployment, suppression of the people’s voice, discrimination against Dalits and the deteriorating situation in Punjab, will be strongly raised during the protest.
In conclusion, S. Balbir Singh Sidhu and Dr. Raj Kumar Verka said that the BJP and Aam Aadmi Party governments will not be allowed to run away from the real issues confronting the people. The Congress Party, as the voice of the people, will continue to raise these issues with full force—from the streets to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and the Parliament.