BJP leader Sunil Jakhar on Monday warned that the Aam Aadmi Party would not be allowed to create “Mamata Banerjee-style West Bengal-like conditions” in Punjab as he accused the ruling party workers of indulging in “hooliganism” at the BJP offices in Amritsar, Batala, Tarn Taran, and Ludhiana.

“Arvind Kejriwal ji, listen carefully. Punjab will not be allowed to become Mamata Banerjee West Bengal…Attacks on BJP offices will not stop the ED and CBI raids. Wherever corruption has taken place, investigations will continue and every corrupt individual will eventually be brought to account,” Jakhar said.

He said BJP will resist violence and intimidation “allegedly being carried out by AAP with the support of the police machinery” and added that “AAP’s goondaism cannot silence the voice of the people”.

Jakhar accused AAP workers of attacking the BJP’s district offices and intimidating the party workers.. In Tarn Taran, around 15-20 unidentified persons allegedly stormed into the BJP office raising slogans of “BJP murdabad”, damaged furniture and defaced posters carrying photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Harjeet Singh Sandhu, BJP’s Tarn Taran district in-charge, said,“Our general secretary Shivram Saini and 4-5 other office bearers were sitting inside the office when suddenly 15-20 unidentified persons entered and attacked our people and damaged our property”.

“They threatened that they would not let us enter villages or even government offices,” Grewal said, adding they have got an FIR registered against unidentified persons.

Tarn Taran SSP Surinder Singh Lamba said police got a call around 4:15 pm. “We checked the CCTV footage wherein 8 to 10 unidentified persons entered the office premises, raised slogans of “BJP Murdabad” and “Punjab Ekta Jindabad”, and threw pamphlets. During the incident, BJP workers apprehended one of the miscreants, following which the other individuals allegedly pelted stones at the office premises to facilitate his escape. No injuries have been reported in the incident”.

He added that he along with SP (Headquarters), DSP (City), and SHO City visited the spot and reviewed the situation. “Police is taking appropriate legal action as per the law,” he added.

In Ludhiana, tension prevailed outside the Police Commissionerate where BJP leaders had gathered to protest against alleged “hooliganism” by AAP workers during Sunday’s demonstrations outside saffron party offices.

During the protest, a man allegedly threw black ink on BJP’s Ludhiana unit treasurer Gurdev Sharma Debi and a few others. Debi said, “We nabbed the person handed him over to the police”.

Rajneesh Dhiman, BJP Ludhiana district president, said, “When we are not safe even outside the Police Commissioner’s office, what else can we expect?”.

BJP Punjab media head Vineet Joshi also claimed that unidentified persons attacked BJP workers at the party office in Batala in Gurdaspur district and in Dera Bassi area of Mohali.

Jakhar, the Punjab BJP chief, warned that “everyone will be held accountable,” including officials allegedly acting in a partisan manner.

“Police and civil officers are paid from the state treasury and are accountable to the people of Punjab, not to any political party,” Jakhar said, adding that officials must work according to law and that anyone misusing their position would face action “at the appropriate time”.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini accused the AAP government of indulging in corrupt practices as he referred to recent raid operations by the Enforcement Directorate in the state.

Saini alleged that the Bhagwant Mann government should have focused on people’s welfare and state’s development. “Money was thrown from a (residential) tower and they (AAP) say nothing wrong was done,” said Saini while referring to the recent ED raids.

“(Bhagwant) Mann’s files are not small. A big bundle of files of Bhagwant Mann and (Arvind) Kejriwal is there, all these files will open,” he said.