Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s direct accusation against the BJP of fomenting the terror attacks in Amritsar and Jalandhar is said to be part of a calculated strategy by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to wrest back the narrative from the BJP in the wake of the defection of its seven Rajya Sabha members.
“AAP has made its move to shape political opinion after results of recent elections in other states gave a boost to the BJP, prompting its leaders to boast that Punjab is the next target,” a senior AAP functionary said.
“In Punjab, where peace has been hard-earned in the past, the one who first sets the narrative manages to impregnate it in people’s minds,” he added.
He said due to it, Mann did a few things immediately — reminding people of the 700 lives lost during the year-long farmers’ protest at the Delhi borders against now-scrapped three central farm laws in 2020-21, telling voters that the BJP was a partner in the state government when the 2015 sacrilege incidents took place and accused the ruling party at the Centre of fear mongering and “being behind the blasts”.
Immediately after Mann’s accusations, his party leaders — including state AAP chief Aman Arora and ministers Harpal Singh Cheema, Harjot Singh Bains, Lal Chand Kataruchak and Balbir Singh — went ahead with similar accusations.
Cheema alleged that whenever an Opposition-ruled state went to the elections, the BJP “conspired to spoil the peace and harmony there, either by fear mongering in the name of security or by creating communal divide”.
Arora accused the BJP of indulging in divisive politics and polarising voters on the issue of law and order.
