Punjab deputy CM, CM singing different tune on ISI threat: AAP

CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party today accused Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal of raising the "bogey" of ISI threat in Punjab to "terrorise" the people to create fear and panic.

It also said that but Sukhbir's "evil designs" has been exposed by none other than his father Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who categorically ruled out any such threat.

"It is ridiculous that Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who also holds Home Portfolio, is virtually terrorising the people of Punjab by raising the bogey of ISI threat," an AAP statement, issued by its Campaign Committee, said today.

"Couple of days after Sukhbir claimed that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was planning attacks on political leaders of the state, the Chief Minister had yesterday denied, saying there was no direct evidence about the involvement of ISI or any other foreign agency in any of the cases, including the attack on RSS leader Gagneja and sacrilege incidents."

Refusing to buy Sukhbir's theory, AAP accused him of conspiring attacks on opposition leaders including party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Claiming that fearing a defeat in the next year's Assembly elections, AAP said the Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was leveling baseless accusations against the party that it was hobnobbing with the hardliners.

"In the garb of pretended ISI threat, Sukhbir may create disturbance in the state by conspiring attacks on AAP leaders, as the party has emerged as a serious political challenge for Akalis," the statement claimed.

Sukhbir's bogey of ISI threat could be termed as "most serious and well planned" conspiracy to create fear among the general public, AAP said, adding it cannot be ruled out that under the garb of ISI threat, Sukhbir may conspire for fierce and deadly attacks on AAP leaders in Punjab.