Appeasement of radicals responsible for violence in Ludhiana: CPI

The Punjab CPI today said that yesterday's violence in Ludhiana was the direct result of the policy of appeasement pursued by Akali-BJP government towards radical Sikh organisations in the state.

Yesterday, one person was killed and 15 others, including three policemen, were injured when Sikhs objected to a religious congregation by a different sect.

"Akali Dal has learnt no lesson from several years of terrorism in the state. The same people were leading the radical organisations today were the kingpins of terrorism in its hey days," Joginder Dayal, member of the national executive of CPI said here while talking to media persons.

According to him, there was no change in their ideology or approach. The CPI leader demanded that these so-called radicalists must be dealt with an iron hand and a clear mind so that the situation is saved from worsening further.

The psychology of these radicals, he charged, was also responsible for riotous situation created by the industrial workers here on Friday. He said the radicals did not like the idea of any group from outside Punjab becoming prosperous in the state.

While they gloated over the success of Punjabis in other countries or other parts of the country, they grudged the same for others whom they call migrants, he said. He said the CPI takes strong exception to the use of word migrant for any category of Indians moving from one state to the other.