‘Punjab Govt acted swiftly in Hoshiarpur rape case unlike UP’

Under Opposition parties’ attack over Hoshiarpur rape-murder incident, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Sunday asserted that the State Government had taken swift action in the matter in sharp contrast to the Uttar Pradesh Government’s response to the Hathras horror. At the same time, he declared that the challan in the case will be presented in the Court this week.

Pointing out that prompt action had been taken by the Punjab Police, the Chief Minister said that the accused had been caught without delay, unlike in Hathras.

That was why Rahul Gandhi had to rush to Hathras, to secure justice for the victim’s family, and did not need to visit Hoshiarpur, he added, while interacting informally with mediapersons.

Asked to comment on the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks on ‘selective outrage’, the Chief Minister reiterated that had the Punjab Government or Police failed to respond with swiftness in Hoshiarpur case, Rahul, Priyanka and others would have reacted the same way as they did in the case of Hathras.

Capt Amarinder, a day before, had hit out at BJP leaders and Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Prakash Javadekar for their comments over the Hoshiarpur rape-murder case, dubbing their remarks as “political puffery” with no substance or basis to support their criticism.

The BJP had attacked the Congress on Saturday over alleged rape and killing of a six-year-old girl in Hoshiarpur, as it asked the opposition party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra why had they not paid a visit to the family of the victim yet.

A six-year-old girl was allegedly raped, killed and then set on fire. Her half-burnt body was found at a house in a village in Tanda in Hoshiarpur on Wednesday.

Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh were arrested on charges of murder, rape and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police had said on Thursday.

MINISTERS ARE IN TALK WITH FARM UNIONS

Pointing out that the fight was with the Central Government, Capt Amarinder reiterated his appeal to the farmers to stage protest dharnas in Delhi and not in Punjab, where economic activity was being threatened by their blockade. 

“Our Ministers are in talks with farmer unions to resolve the problem, he said, pointing to the fact that only one day’s coal stocks and 10 percent Urea are available with the State. The option to buy power from the national grid did not exist since the State had no money, he added, in response to a question.

Ridiculing the Akali allegations of him being hand in glove with the Central Government on the farm laws issue, the Chief Minister remarked that “everyone knows who is colluding with whom.”

“It is the Akalis who are mixed up with the BJP, they quit NDA under pressure but are still working together,” he said, adding that Harsimrat Badal was clearly involved in the introduction of the anti-farmer Ordinances and was a Cabinet Minister at the time these were brought in by the Union Government.  “What did the Akalis do? My government brought the resolution or Bills in Vidhan Sabha to reject the Central laws,” he added.

To a question on the status of resolutions on Farm Laws in other states, the Chief Minister said that there were 11 non-BJP State Governments in the country and the Congress was in power in four states.

“All Congress Governments would move similar resolutions against the central rules,” he said, expressing the hope that other non-BJP governments like that of West Bengal would also follow suit.

“WHO SAID SIDHU IS SIDELINED?”

Responding to a media query, the Chief Minister denied that party MLA and former MInister Navjot

Singh Sidhu had been sidelined in Punjab Congress, quipping, “who said Navjot Sidhu is sidelined?”

‘NOT FIRST TIME RECEIVED ED SUMMONS’

On being asked about the Enforcement Department (ED) summoning his son Raninder Singh, Capt Amarinder said that it was not the first time the agency had issued summons to his family.

PROVIDED IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO DUSSEHRA TRAGEDY VICTIMS

On last year’s Dussehra rail tragedy, Capt Amarinder said that the State Government had provided immediate monetary relief but the matter now rested with the Railways, who would be giving the remaining relief to the victims and their families.