CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress president and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, on Sunday alleged that the BJP government at the Centre had hatched a major conspiracy to seize 44 lakh acres of Muslim land by bringing in the Waqf Act.
He further claimed that after targeting Muslims, the saffron party’s next focus could be the Sikh community, and similar actions could be taken against the properties of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
Addressing the ‘Samvidhan Bachao Sabha’ at Malerkotla, Warring alleged that the BJP had created an atmosphere of fear among Muslims across the country. Asserting that the BJP was against Muslims, he pointed out that of the 240 MPs the BJP had in the Lok Sabha, not one of them was a Muslim.
He expressed confidence that the BJP and the RSS would not be allowed to succeed in Punjab, a state where people live in harmony. “There are places in Punjab where the Sikh community has provided land for mosques and graveyards for the Muslim brethren,” he said.
He further alleged that the BJP government at the Centre and the AAP government in the state were undermining the Constitution by muzzling the voice of the opposition. He pointed out how the BJP was using central investigating agencies like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax Department against political opponents.
Warring said the AAP government in Punjab was no different. He referred to the case against Congress Legislative Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who had merely cautioned against possible grenade attacks in the state.
He observed that the AAP government had completely failed in Punjab. “The way the AAP government is taking loans, the total debt by the end of its term may cross Rs 6 lakh crore,” he said. “It will be difficult for the next government to carry out any developmental works. Even the salaries of employees will be difficult to be paid.”
Referring to the anti-drug campaign of the AAP government, he said the fight against drugs is a long-drawn one and cannot be completed within any fixed deadline.
"It is not very easy to wean people from drug addiction,” he said, calling for a comprehensive and long-term strategy to deal with the problem instead of resorting to publicity stunts.
Warring told the gathering that if Malerkotla had been granted district status today, it was only because of the assiduous efforts of senior party leader and former minister from the area, Razia Sultana.