Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 23: Referring to the statements of BJP activists accusing their own party Minister Bali Bhagat of using armed gunmen for silencing the voice of even their own party workers, NPP chairman and former minister Harsh Dev Singh has said that Sunday’s episode provided the most glaring instance of the high handedness and intolerance of BJP Ministers and MLAs who were hell-bent to suppress all voice of dissent through use of force.
Addressing a press conference here today, Harsh Dev maintained that if BJP workers did not have the freedom to ventilate their grievances and were suppressed and tortured for projecting the lapses in the system, the plight of common man and opposition leaders could well be imagined.
Describing the Muthi episode as most shameful, NPP leader regretted that the BJP leaders after being exposed for their misdeeds and corrupt practices were often resorting to “goondaism” besides using paid agents as well as Govt agencies to intimidate the aggrieved complainers and other whistleblowers. Urging upon the Governor and Chief Minister to take cognizance of the highly offensive and incriminating conduct of the Health Minister, Singh called for ensuring due security to the BJP leader Pawan Singh Salathia who had complained of massive corruption in Health Department besides other allegations of encroachments of State land by land mafia enjoying patronage of the Minister.
Asserting that the Muthi episode was only a tip of an ice berg, Singh said that there were several other instances to indicate how the BJP leaders had become law unto themselves and were openly assaulting, intimidating and threatening people with none to take cognizance of their criminal conduct. He sought resignation of Health Minister.
He pointed out that in an identical episode the BJP MLA from Ramnagar intruded into a classroom of HSS Basantgarh on July 21, assaulted a teacher named Pritam Singh in the classroom, got him thrashed right in front of students in the class. He regretted that no FIR has been registered against the said MLA despite complaint filed with the Police Station, Basantgarh as well as with IGP Jammu.
Expressing concern over the lawlessness created and reign of terror let loose by the BJP leaders in the State, Singh sought personal indulgence of the Governor in his capacity as the custodian of constitution so that the defiant legislators were brought to book.
Balwant Singh Mankotia State president NPP and Gagan Pratap Singh, State secretary and spokesman also accompanied.
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