Chandigarh: The arrest of BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by a team of Punjab Police from his residence in Delhi and being taken into custody later by Delhi police has started a war of words among BJP, Congress, and AAP. Lashing out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the issue, BJP accused him of having a "dictatorial mindset" and "misusing" the police force of Punjab which is ruled by his party.
Punjab Police arrests Delhi BJP leader Tajinder Bagga; gets held up in Haryana BJP leader from Punjab and the party's national general secretary Tarun Chugh tweeted, "The manner in which Kejriwal is misusing Punjab Police is condemnable. The Punjab Police has arrested Bagga from his home. They behaved inhumanly with Bagga and his father. But remember (Arvind) Kejriwal Ji, such acts cannot scare a true Sikh," he said in the tweet.
Delhi BJP chief Adesh Gupta said a complaint has been lodged at the Janakpuri police station in the national capital over the Punjab police allegedly beating Bagga's father. "FIR was lodged at Janakpuri police station over the Punjab Police beating Tajinder Bagga's father. Sending 50-60 Punjab Police personnel to the house of the young BJP leader, forcibly lifting him, and getting his elderly father beaten up is proof of the dictatorial mindset of Arvind Kejriwal," he tweeted in Hindi.
Delhi BJP leader Kapil Mishra said in the morning that "It seems Arvind Kejriwal has used the Punjab Police's might to silence Bagga". In a video posted on Twitter, he alleged that the Punjab Police was being "misused" against activists and not for maintaining law and order in the state.
Another BJP leader Arun Yadav quipped that Kejriwal was scared of Tajinderpal Bagga and tweeted, "Kejriwal scared of Tajinder Bagga, now coward Kejriwal is taking the help of Punjab Police. Tajinder Bagga Bhai has been arrested by Punjab Police, Respected Home Minister @AmitShahji please take cognizance of this matter."
Denying the allegation, AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said that Punjab Police registered a case against Bagga last month as his social media posts "tried to create communal tension and incite violence in the state". "Because of such statements, the Punjab Police lodged an FIR and now arrested Bagga. His statements were communal in nature. A lot of BJP-linked people were instigating the violence in Patiala," added Bharadwaj.
Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu criticized the AAP Government over the issue alleging that AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann were using Punjab Police to settle political scores. "Tajinder Bagga could be from a different party, one could have ideological differences. But Political vendetta, of @ArvindKejriwal& @BhagwantMann, to settle personal scores through Punjab police is a cardinal sin… Stop tarnishing the image of Punjab Police by Politicising it..," tweeted Sidhu.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar dubbed Bagga's arrest by Punjab Police as "political" and said that there will be problems if enmity between political parties rises in such a manner. "The procedure wasn't followed and it's a political issue as during polls Bagga had delivered speeches. Speeches normally include political content and blame against each other. If something happens, EC takes cognizance and then police look into it," Khattar told the media.
Punjab Congress spokesperson Kanwar Harpreet Singh said that those who came to power by talking of doing clean politics have spoiled the political atmosphere in such a way that people will not believe any politician in the time to come. Meanwhile, BJP leaders and workers staging a protest outside the AAP office in Delhi were detained by Delhi Police on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court turned down the Punjab government's plea of not giving Bagga's custody to the Delhi Police and keep him in Haryana. The Punjab Government has filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court during the day. The case will again come up for hearing on Saturday. Bagga's lawyer Monica Arora said that he will be produced in Dwarka court in Delhi by Delhi Police on Saturday.
Read:Arvind Kejriwal claims BJP men beat up AAP Gujarat workers, shares video
