PATIALA, May 20 — The Congress party staged a major demonstration on Wednesday against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party, accusing the administration of deploying state government machinery and police personnel to intimidate opposition workers ahead of the Municipal Council elections.
During the protest, a delegation led by Punjab Congress General Secretary and former Rajpura legislator Hardyal Singh Kamboj formally submitted a petition to State Election Commissioner Ajay Kamal Chaudhary. The petition demands the immediate transfer of Rajpura DSP Manjit Singh, Banur Police Station Head Inspector Arshdeep Sharma, and Rajpura City Police Station Head Inspector Gursewak Singh.
“During the previous Municipal Council by-elections, Panchayat elections, Zilla Parishad, and Block Samiti elections, these officers rigged the process and threatened Congress party workers at the behest of ruling party leaders,” Kamboj asserted.
The former lawmaker stated that Inspector Arshdeep Sharma has been conducting early morning raids at the residences of Congress candidates contesting the Banur Municipal Council elections to systematically threaten them and tilt the electoral landscape in favor of the ruling party.
The Congress leadership issued a two-day ultimatum to the State Election Commission to reassign the named police officials. Kamboj noted that if the commission fails to act within forty-eight hours, the party will approach the High Court and formally flag the issue to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to prevent further electoral interference.
Several prominent Congress organizers, including Advocate Harjot Singh, Sarabjit Singh Manakpur, Malkit Singh Upalheri, and Harpreet Singh Sonik, participated in the demonstration and the submission of the memorandum.
