SAD chief targets Pb govt over extension of BSF's jurisdiction

“Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi should come clean and tell Punjabis why he had acquiesced to extending the jurisdiction of the BSF to cover nearly half of the state during his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently,” Sukhbir Singh Badal told reporters in Amritsar after paying obeisance at Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal.

Amritsar:Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday targeted the Punjab government over the extension of the BSF's jurisdiction, saying the chief minister should tell "why he had acquiesced" to the Centre's move.

“Chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi should come clean and tell Punjabis why he had acquiesced to extending the jurisdiction of the BSF to cover nearly half of the state during his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently,” Badal told reporters here after paying obeisance at Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal.

“It is a fact that the chief minister met the Union home minister on October 5 following which the jurisdiction of BSF to search, recover and arrest was extended over 10 districts in the state,” he said.

Punjabis expect decisive action from Channi “to defeat the conspiracy to establish central rule over Punjab through this decision which is also against the principles of federalism as well as the very ethos of democracy”, said Badal.

He said it was condemnable that “Channi had not reacted to the development with any concrete action till now”.

The Punjab government had taken strong exception to the Centre's move over on the issue of extension of the Border Security Force's jurisdiction dubbing it as an "attack on federalism".

"I strongly condemn the GoI's (government of India) unilateral decision to give additional powers to BSF within the 50 km belt running along the international borders, which is a direct attack on federalism. I urge the Union Home Minister @AmitShah to immediately rollback this irrational decision," Channi had tweeted on Wednesday.

The central government has amended the BSF Act to authorise the force to undertake search, seizure and arrest within a larger 50 km stretch, instead of the existing 15 km, from the international border in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

Badal, meanwhile, also targeted the Congress party "for going in for symbolism alone in appointing a scheduled caste leader as the chief minister".

“The leader should have intent to work and the Congress should allow him to work also. At present both these things are missing,” he said.

Replying to a question, Badal termed the recent lynching incident near Singhu border as a barbaric act, having no place in a civilised society.

He sought a free, fair and speedy investigation into the entire incident.

Badal said if the SAD-BSP government is formed in the state after the 2022 assembly polls, it would establish a university in the memory of Maharishi Valmiki in Doaba region of the state.

PTI