Punjab BJP leaders detained during welfare camps, party says AAP following Manish Sisodia’s ‘saam, daam, dand, bhed’

CHANDIGARH: A day after the Punjab BJP accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led govt of "obstructing its public outreach camps" titled "BJP de sewadar aa gaye ne tuhade dwaar" at 39 locations across the state, a major political row erupted on Thursday.

Punjab Police detained several BJP leaders and workers for allegedly "illegally collecting personal data of the residents."Alleging that the AAP was now following its senior leader Manish Sisodia's "diktat" – Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed – in "true letter and spirit" and "misusing Punjab Police" by detaining BJP leaders, a delegation led by Punjab BJP working president Ashwani Sharma met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh.

They requested his immediate intervention to "prevent harassment of BJP workers, volunteers & villagers during awareness camps on Central govt welfare schemes.

"While the party's leaders, former MP Sushil Rinku and former two-time MLA and Punjab BJP vice-president KD Bhandari, were detained in Jalandhar, another leader, Sunny Kaith, was held in Ludhiana, said the BJP.A memorandum submitted to the Governor by Sharma stated, "The underlying reason for such obstruction appears to be political vendetta and fear of the rising popularity of the BJP in Punjab.

Instead of allowing welfare information to reach the poor, the marginalised, and the SC/ST communities, the ruling party [in Punjab] is using state machinery to suppress legitimate and democratic activities of our workers."Referring to former Delhi deputy chief minister Sisodia's recent controversial statements in Punjab, the memorandum said, "It may be noted that, after a public speech by Manish Sisodia, wherein he openly declared that [Punjab] elections in 2027 would be won [by] 'saam, daam, dand, bhed, sach, jhooth, ladai, jhagda' – that is, through unfair and unethical means – the State govt started to adopt illegal, coercive methods to target BJP workers and innocent villagers alike.

"Talking to reporters after submitting the memorandum to the Governor, Sharma said BJP leaders and workers were only acting as "facilitators" to take people to the camps being held by Common Service Centre (CSC). He said the BJP leaders and activists were doing this job since May to help eligible beneficiaries make the required cards to avail themselves of the Centre's welfare schemes. Sharma said Punjab BJP helped 1.56 lakh eligible beneficiaries from among Dalits, labourers, farmers, and the economically weak to avail themselves of such schemes.

He said BJP would not be intimidated by police action and would continue with the exercise.Sharma also accused the ruling AAP of "data theft" in the guise of promising Rs 1000 to women aged 18 and above, one of the poll promises of AAP which he rued was yet to be fulfilled. Sharma added that poor people in neighbouring Haryana were getting benefits of all Centre-run schemes. "Then why should the people of Punjab not get these benefits?" he questioned.Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar also slammed AAP over the issue and in a video said, "This has exposed the real dictatorial face of the AAP." He accused the AAP govt of detaining BJP leaders and workers in the state to "stop them from taking the Centre's welfare scheme to the poor people." Jakhar said irrespective of the use of police against its leaders and workers, the BJP would ensure that the benefits of the Centre's schemes reach people.BJP's Rajya Sabha member and union minister of state for railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, also reacted and wrote on Facebook: "Saam, daam, dand, bhed yojana shuru.. bina kaaran Bhajpa netawan no giraftar kita gaya (Ruling by hook or crook scheme has started. BJP leaders have been arrested in Punjab for no reason)."