CHANDIGARH, MAY 15 — Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema issued a sharp critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday, asserting that crime and lawlessness have become hallmarks of the party’s governance. Citing National Crime Records Bureau data, the minister stated that states under long-term BJP control are witnessing a significant breakdown in public safety.
Cheema maintained that while the Bhagwant Mann administration has proactively dismantled organized crime through the Anti-Gangster Task Force, BJP-led regions show much higher crime frequencies. He noted that Delhi currently leads the country’s crime charts, followed by states like Gujarat and Haryana, where the BJP holds power.
“Wherever the BJP goes, law and order collapses,” the Cabinet Minister declared. He affirmed that the BJP uses fear and division as political instruments, contrasting this with Punjab’s crime rate of 227.1 per lakh population, which remains substantially lower than that of its neighbors.
The minister specifically raised concerns regarding the operation of extortion networks from within Gujarat’s prisons. He maintained that notorious elements are allowed to manage criminal activities from high-security facilities while the local government fails to intervene or allow custody transfers to other states for investigation.
“CM Bhagwant Singh Mann has taken historic steps to crush organised crime,” Cheema asserted, adding that previous administrations had allowed political violence to flourish. He further stated that the central government is currently attempting to intimidate influential Punjabi figures into joining the BJP by targeting their associates and creating an atmosphere of professional fear.
