Ravneet Bittu alleges convoy attack ahead of yatra (Img: Dynamite News)
Pathankot: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that his convoy was attacked while he was travelling to Pathankot to attend the launch of the party’s ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’. He claimed his security team apprehended three people following the alleged incident and alleged that they were linked to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Bittu further alleged that a local MLA, whom he identified as Sherry, had sent the three individuals to prevent him from participating in the BJP’s anti-drug campaign. However, he did not provide details of the alleged attack or publicly establish the identities of those detained.
“Such incidents are a grave threat to democracy and the safety of political leaders," Bittu said.
The BJP leader also said that if anything happened to him, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the state’s Director General of Police (DGP) would be responsible for his safety and security.
Bittu urged the Punjab Government to immediately investigate the alleged incident and take steps to ensure the safety of political leaders and workers in the state.
The allegations come as the Punjab BJP prepares to launch its ‘Nasha Mukt Punjab Yatra’, a statewide campaign focused on drug abuse.
BJP National President Nitin Nabin is scheduled to flag off the campaign from Pathankot on Friday. The yatra is expected to cover around 4,000 kilometres across all 117 Assembly constituencies before concluding in Jalandhar on September 30.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address a rally in Jalandhar at the conclusion of the campaign.
Speaking to ANI, Nabin said Punjab’s youth, whom he described as descendants of farming families and inheritors of the state’s cultural and industrial legacy, had been pushed towards addiction.
“I believe that the youth of Punjab- descendants of hardworking farming families, heirs to a rich culture and a thriving industrial sector that was once a source of pride for the entire nation- have been pushed into the clutches of addiction and left completely directionless," Nitin Nabin said.
He also alleged that political parties in Punjab had used the drug issue for electoral gains and subsequently allowed the trade to continue after coming to power.
“I also believe that political parties in the state exploited the drug issue merely to gain power, only to treat the drug trade as a business venture or a source of profit once in office, allowing it to flourish under political patronage," Nitin Nabin said.
Reacting to the alleged attack on Bittu’s convoy near Pathankot, BJP MP Raghav Chadha accused the AAP of targeting the BJP leader and raised concerns over the law-and-order situation in Punjab.
“The AAP is scared; that is why they are attempting to attack our party member, Ravneet Singh Bittu. This also highlights the state of law and order in Punjab. Even a former minister like Ravneet Singh Bittu—who holds Z-plus security protection—is vulnerable to such attacks. This implies that the common man in Punjab is not safe at all.”
The allegations have come at a time when the BJP is beginning its statewide campaign against drug abuse, with senior party leaders scheduled to participate in the yatra and its concluding rally.
