Sukhjinder Randhawa meets Amit Shah over law and order situation amid Punjab Congress unrest

New Delhi: Amid post-reshuffle unrest in the Punjab Congress, party leader Sukhjinder Randhawa on Friday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah here and raised the issue of "deteriorating" law and order in the border state.

Randhawa later told reporters that he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi almost a month ago and raised the issue of gangsters ruling the state, extortion, and Pak-sponsored narco-terrorism, especially in the border districts of Punjab.

The former Punjab deputy chief minister met Shah at a time when the local Congress is beset with dissensions over the retention of the party's state president.


Supporters of Charanjit Singh Channi, a former Punjab chief minister, gathered at his residence in Punjab's Morinda amid a demand by many former MLAs for him to be made the state chief.

The development comes after the party's central leadership decided to retain Amrinder Singh Raja Warring as the state unit chief.

"It certainly hurts when all this is happening after a list comes out. I have the habit of speaking out the truth, and I don't know what it means," Randhawa said here on the matter.

"This situation is not so bad as you think. But, it is a matter to ponder that it should not have come to this. It is unfortunate that after so many meetings, people are still not satisfied," he told reporters.

Randhawa said Congress observer Ajay Maken can answer what report he had given to the party high command about changes to be made in the state unit.

He said his meeting with Shah came after he wrote to the prime minister on the issue of extortion, gangsterism, and cross-border narcotics trade flourishing in the state.

He said he had apprised Modi about these matters, especially occurring in the border areas of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Pathankot.

He said he had also sent a representation to the home minister on the deterioration of law and order in Punjab, as well as political alignment and political weaponisation of the Punjab police.

He said the central government has military intelligence, RAW, CBI and the Intelligence Bureau to rein in these activities.

"The home minister asked me if he had spoken to the DGP of the state....Extortions are happening and those in jails are speaking through mobiles. Talk is also going on about looting elections with the help of goons and gangsters," the Congress leader claimed.

"I asked the minister about the role of the Centre in checking this. It cannot run away from this threat to national security as Pakistan is directly involved," he asserted.

Meanwhile, Channi is said to be miffed at not being appointed to the post.

He is learnt to have not even made a customary call to thank the party leadership following the new announcements.

Former deputy chief minister O P Soni, former ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Gurpreet Singh Kangar, former MP Mohd Sadiq, sitting MLA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, ex-MLAs Nazar Singh Manshahia, Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Lakhvir Singh Lakha, Darshan Singh Brar and Tarsem Singh called on him after he was bypassed for the post.