State govt 'sleeping' as law and order collapses in Punjab: Anurag Thakur
Rupnagar (Punjab) (PTI): Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday attacked the AAP dispensation in Punjab, saying law and order "collapsed" in the state after the formation of "one government", and suggested it "wakes up" and takes some steps.
His remarks come in the backdrop of the last month Ajnala incident in which self-styled Sikh preacher and Khalistani sympathiser Amritpal Singh and his supporters, carrying swords and guns, clashed with police for the release of one of his aide.
In Delhi, they say the police should be handed over to them, "what have they done to the police (here in Punjab)", the BJP leader and information and broadcasting minister said without naming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) or its government in the state and in the national capital.
Law and order situation has "collapsed" in the state in the last one year, Thakur, who was here to launch the 'Yuva Utsava-India@2047', told reporters.
"What has happened to Punjab's situation in the last one year? The incidents which took place here, what do they indicate," Thakur asked.
"The Punjab Police used to be discussed throughout the country and today, what this discussion has now turned into. Who is responsible for this?" he asked.
The Union minister wondered if the law and order situation of a state "breaks down too soon with the formation of one government".
To another question, Thakur said law and order is the responsibility of the state government. "I hope that this sleeping government wakes up and its honeymoon (period) is over. It should now wake up and should take some steps," he said
The Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab is facing flak from opposition parties, including the BJP, over the Ajnala incident and a clash between gangsters in Tarn Taran jail that resulted in the death of two criminals held in connection with singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case.
However, Mann, who holds the home affairs portfolio, had earlier said that his government would maintain law and order and no one will be allowed to disturb its hard earned peace.
The BJP has also targeted the AAP government, demanding governor's rule in the state.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Canadian report finds 'no definitive link' between Nijjar killing and India
Ottawa, Jan 29 (PTI): A Canada commission report has said that "no definitive link" with a "foreign state" in the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was "proven", smashing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that accused the involvement of Indian agents in the killing.
In September 2023, Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence that agents of the Indian government were involved in the murder of Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023.
The report titled "Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions' was released on Tuesday.
In the report commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue said "Disinformation is used as a retaliatory tactic to punish decisions that run contrary to a state's interests."
The report has suggested India spread disinformation on the killing of Nijjar.
"This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister's announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven)," the report said.
Nijjar was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
The 123-page report also talked of expelling six Indian diplomats.
"In October 2024, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials in reaction to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India," it said.
However, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced the withdrawal of its high commissioner.
The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations in September last year of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.
New Delhi had rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".
India has repeatedly criticised Trudeau's government for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada. The Khalistan movement is banned in India but has support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada.
On Tuesday, India strongly rejected "insinuations" made against it in the report by a Canadian commission that investigated allegations that certain foreign governments were meddling in Canada's elections.
In a strong reaction, the MEA in New Delhi said it rejects the report's "insinuations" on India.
It is in fact Canada which has been "consistently interfering" in India's internal affairs, it said.
