The Fact News Service
Chandigarh/Ludhiana, June 16
Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal sharply criticized the recent statement made by Congress leader and former Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa regarding gangsters. Randhawa had claimed yesterday that their workers were being threatened by gangsters over phone calls to prevent them from attending Congress rallies.
Reacting strongly to Randhawa’s statement, Dhaliwal said that the number of gangsters in Punjab increased significantly during the Congress government. “Everyone knows who sowed the seeds of gangsterism. Every child in your constituency, Dera Baba Nanak, knows that these gangsters were made by you. It does not suit you to speak on the issue of gangsters,” Dhaliwal said.
Dhaliwal highlighted that Randhawa had held the positions of both Jail Minister and Home Minister during the previous government. During that time, Uttar Pradesh’s notorious gangster Mukhtar Ansari was hosted in Ropar Jail as a guest. He further pointed out that Randhawa and other Congress leaders had been accused of providing political patronage to several gangsters.
Dhaliwal stated that Randhawa cannot mislead the people of Punjab with such statements. “The people have become very wise. The entire state knows that the Akali-BJP and Congress governments were the originators of gangster culture in Punjab. These governments promoted gangsterism in the state,” he added.
He said that under Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s leadership, the AAP government has been taking relentless action against gangsters and drug smugglers. “In the past two months alone, thousands of smugglers and criminals have been arrested and sent to jail, and FIRs have been registered against thousands more,” Dhaliwal said.
“Our government is committed to fighting until Punjab is free from gangsters, drugs, and drug traffickers. Our aim is to completely eliminate drugs and crime from the state and to once again make Punjab ‘Rangla Punjab,’” he added. Dhaliwal advised Sukhjinder Randhawa to think before speaking and said that before accusing the AAP government, he should first reflect on the actions of his own government.
