Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said his government will take strict action against anyone who tries to disturb the state’s peace and harmony, days after the police crackdown against radical preacher Amritpal Singh.
Punjab Police had launched a major crackdown against Singh and members of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’.
The preacher, however, gave the police a slip and escaped their dragnet when his cavalcade was intercepted in Jalandhar district. In his first reaction to the police action, Mann said he received several calls from people praising his government.
“People are telling me, you have done a good job. There should be peace and harmony in Punjab. In this matter, we will support you,” Mann said in a video message.
#WATCH | …Action has been taken against them and they have been arrested, strict punishment will be given to them…Those who will try to disturb Punjab’s peace will be severely dealt with: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann on action taken against Amritpal Singh & his associates pic.twitter.com/cP1fCBchUu
— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2023
Mann said Punjab’s peace, harmony, and the country’s progress were his top priorities. “We will not spare any force working against the country, the CM said, adding people have given a responsibility to the AAP by giving it a huge mandate in the elections. I thank 3 crore Punjabis for their cooperation in this operation (against Singh and ‘Waris Punjab De’). There was not a single report of any untoward incident from the state. It has boosted my confidence that people want peace and progress,” said Mann.
He asserted that under the leadership of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party AAP is a “100 per cent secular party”. We never play politics in the name of religion, caste and hatred, he added.