Cautious after attack on CM Badal, people made to remove shoes at Harsimrat’s public meet

Cautious after the shoe attack on Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, police on Friday asked the audience to remove their shoes before Union food minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s visit to Mansa.

A protester had hurled a shoe at the chief minister, injuring him in the eye during an election campaign at Ratta Khera village in his assembly constituency, Lambi, in Muktsar district earlier this month.

The cops kept a strict vigil and no one wearing black clothes was allowed to enter the venue in Bhikhi town where Harsimrat was to address the gathering of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) workers.

While campaigning for SAD candidate Jagdeep Singh Nakai, Harsimrat asked SAD workers to counter the ‘propaganda’ and negative campaign of Aam Admi Party (AAP) in Punjab.

“After being in government for last ten years, our workers have become a bit lazy. I appeal you to counter AAP’s propaganda. Go to people and create awareness about AAP’s misrule in the national capital,” she said.

Harsimrat also alleged that AAP was behind all the cases of sacrilege in Punjab. “AAP blames us for the sacrilege incidents. How is it possible that these incidents never happened when Badal sahab (Parkash Singh Badal) has been the chief minister for more than three terms? It’s AAP which is involved in such condemnable incidents to disturb the hard earned peace in the state.”

She further said, “AAP is being backed by Sikh hardliners and if they come to power, SGPC will be governed by radicals.”

On being criticised for her previous remarks of asking SAD workers to get violent, Harsimrat said she was not willing to address a gathering. Rather, she wanted to have a closed door meeting to avoid media scrutiny.

The local leadership looked nervous with the thin attendance of SAD workers during Harsimrat’s programme in Bhikhi. She also predicted that AAP leader Sanjay Singh would be declared the deputy chief minister of Punjab if AAP comes to power.

Blaming Congress for a tacit understanding with the AAP, she said if Congress falls short of majority, it will not feel shy in seeking support of AAP to form government in the state.