CHANDIGARH: A political blame game has started in Punjab a day after the Patiala clash, the first major challenge of the nascent AAP government in the state. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government was taking all necessary steps, including confidence-building measures, to create harmony among the residents. “The issue has been resolved,” he said. Mann blamed Shiv Sena, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal workers for the incident. “It was not a communal clash,’’ he said.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal responded by claiming the clash was the direct outcome of the politics of confrontation and communal hatred that AAP has been practising in Punjab in recent years. He asked Mann to shun “politics of mindless sensationalism.”
Sukhbir sought to remind the CM about the militancy days of the 1980s and 90s, saying the tragedy was the product of “reckless opportunism” of some non-Punjabi politicians trying to control Punjab from Delhi. “You must be watchful that you don’t repeat history,” said Sukhbir. “Punjab being a border state cannot afford AAP’s ambitious opportunism.”
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur alleged a breakdown of law and order in the state. “The chief minister is spending more time outside the state. We do not know who is looking after the state’s law and order. Is the Punjab government and Chief Minister capable of controlling the situation?” he asked.’’
Senior Congress leader Pratap Singh Bajwa said Punjab had already paid a heavy price for political instability and militancy. “Peace and brotherhood should be maintained at all costs,’’ he added.