Significantly, AAP's state-wide protest will coincide with SAD and Congress parties' proposed rallies in Patiala and Bathinda respectively on December 15.
Aam Aadmi Party on Tuesday announced to intensify its campaign against SAD-BJP led Punjab government by holding state-wide agitation on December 15, to demand resignation of state agriculture minister Tota Singh for an alleged "pesticide scam". "We will hold state-wide protest in Punjab on December 15 and will demand the removal of Tota Singh for pesticide scam because of which cotton growers faced heavy losses as pest attack damaged crop extensively in the state," AAP senior leader and in charge of Punjab Affairs Sanjay Singh said here today.
Significantly, AAP's state-wide protest will coincide with SAD and Congress parties' proposed rallies in Patiala and Bathinda respectively on December 15. While Amarinder Singh will take over as Punjab Congress President in a rally in Bathinda, which is Badal family's bastion, SAD will hold rally in Patiala. Congress and SAD are vying each other in holding parallel rallies which are being seen as show of strength of both the parties. "Our protest has nothing to do with their (SAD, Congress) 'nautanki' rallies," Singh said.
He said all AAP leaders including MP Bhagwant Mann, Sucha Singh Chhotepur would hold agitation in their respective zones in the state. He said that AAP was intensifying its campaign against the state government after several activists of party's youth wing were "injured in lathi charge, tear gas shell and water cannon by police on Sunday at Chandigarh-Mohali border." The party even paraded several "injured" activists before the media today.
On Sunday, Police lobbed tear gas shells and used water cannon at AAP youth wing activists trying to enter the city as they had planned to gherao Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's residence demanding removal of the agriculture minister for his alleged "involvement in the pesticide scam". "We challenge Badal led government in Punjab that AAP will not stop with hooliganism (gundagardi), use of police force. We will continue with our agitation," he said. He alleged that because of pesticide scam, farmers had suffered a lot as their cotton crop got damaged while a large number of hapless farmers committed suicides in the state. "Punjab's Agriculture minister Tota Singh was responsible for this," he alleged.
Singh further alleged that Punjab CM failed to "boot out" Tota Singh from the cabinet as "he and his son Sukhbir Badal got share out of the scam." AAP accused Badal led government of running trade and business in the state and making "huge profit" out of it. AAP also sought high level inquiry into the alleged killings of innocent youths in fake encounters during militancy days by Punjab police.
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