Friday’s clashes in Patiala, one of the most important cities of Punjab, between two groups owing allegiance to different political parties could become the first major test of the new Chief Minister, Bhagwant Singh Mann. Supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party have claimed that certain vested interests were attempting to destablise the State government after their humiliating defeat in the recent assembly polls. They have alleged that the right-wing Hindu extremists including the BJP and expelled Shiv Sena leader, Harish Singla on one hand and followers of the Shiromani Akali Dal on the other, were responsible for these clashes. To send a stern warning to the miscreants, Mann has made it clear that there shall be zero tolerance for infringement which is aimed at disturbing the harmony and tranquility of the state where Hindus and Sikhs have co-existed for centuries.
He ordered the immediate transfer of senior police officials to send down a strong message to the force and has warned that any kind of violation of the rule of law would be dealt with sternly. The police have also registered five FIRs and the main accused behind the conspiracy has been identified and arrested. The BJP has come out and accused the AAP of being hand in glove with pro-Khalistani elements who wanted to create disturbances. Their assertion is that even before the elections, separatist groups from North America, Australia and Britain had extended their support to AAP. There was certainly a well-calculated conspiracy that could have its genesis in Pakistan where the ISI has been for years trying to create problems in the border state. Patiala is a historic city and was once the bastion of Captain Amarinder Singh and his family. It is also the home town of his bête noire, Navjot Singh Sidhu. Thus, for a curfew to be imposed in this place with internet services being suspended is something very serious. Punjab has gone through very difficult times in the 1980s and 90s and the earlier situation cannot be allowed to be repeated.
Detractors of the AAP feel that the new government was packed with inexperienced leaders who had negligible administrative acumen and could not thus administer this volatile region. However, it must be clearly understood that the AAP government would need time to settle down. Such incidents would test its patience and prowess. In the end, the government has to ensure the safety and security of all the citizens. The state is under huge economic debt and over the years, has seen the rise of substance abuse by the youth. Narcotics and arms smuggled from across the border have added to the problems and the ruling dispensation has to be extremely careful of these transgressions. The administration must crackdown on the miscreants and not allow them to do anything contrary to the rule of law. The responsibility on the shoulders of Mann and his colleagues is enormous and they have no option but to rise to the occasion and deal with the issue effectively and firmly. The country cannot afford to have instability in Punjab when the Centre is trying to straighten things up in the adjoining region of Jammu and Kashmir. Both the Centre and State must work together to meet the challenge of any external threat but maintaining peace in the region is primarily the responsibility of the State government.