BJP leaders of Jalandhar, under district BJP president Sushil Sharma, today held a protest against the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, outside the office of the Commissioner of Police, opposing statements made by the CM blaming the BJP for the blasts which took place recently in Jalandhar and Amritsar. The BJP also submitted a complaint to the Police Commissioner, demanding that an FIR be registered against the CM on sedition charge, for making unsubstantiated claims on the recent blasts, endangering state’s security and for defaming the BJP.BJP leaders with banners and party flags gathered at the DAC Complex in Jalandhar and then protested outside the CP office, indulging in intense sloganeering against the CM and state government. BJP leaders Manoranjan Kalia, KD Bhandari, Sushil Rinku, Rakesh Rathour, Sarabjit Makkar, Karamjit Kaur, Ramesh Pabbi, among others, held the protest outside the CP office.In their complaint to the police, they demanded action against the CM for making “false, inflammatory and defamatory statements promoting public mischief, communal disharmony, political hostility and endangering the security & public order of the state”.Speaking to media, BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “Do the state’s CM and DGP have no communication with each other? The Chief Minister must be booked for his unsubstantiated statement against the BJP. The state police must decide, if the CM’s statement is correct then he should file an FIR against us and if the DGP’s statement is true, then the CM must be booked. There is a clear precedent with Opposition leader Paratap Singh also having formerly been booked for a claim involving state’s security.”Party leader Sushil Rinku said, “The CM has made very serious charges against the BJP. A party which took bold and decisive action against Pakistan in Operation Sindoor is being blamed for blasts in state. It’s an irresponsible statement, which lowers the dignity of the position he holds. The CM should also have consulted the DGP. That’s why we have come to lodge a complaint. The CM must either prove the BJP’s hand (in blasts) and lodge an FIR against the party or he should apologise to the people of Punjab and the country.”What the complaint says:The complaint submitted by BJP leaders to the CP stated, “The statements of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and DGP Gaurav Yadav concerning Bomb Blasts on May 5 at BSF Frontier Headquarters in Jalandhar and the Army Camp in Amritsar are diagonally divergent. It also shows that the Head of the Government did not consult the State Police Chief before issuing the statements of bomb blasts.The statement of Chief Minister Mann absolves the ISI of Pakistan, which the DGP, Punjab, holds responsible of bomb blasts in Jalandhar and Amritsar on the anniversary of Operation Sindoor. Thus, Chief Minister Mann has committed crime against the country, an act of sedition. He has lowered the reputation of Bharatiya Janata Party in the eyes of general public which amounts to criminal defamation. Apart from Punjab Police, the NIA is also probing the said two bomb blasts. By making these unsubstantiated allegations, the CM is misleading the investigating agencies to divert the attention from the actual perpetrators of the crime, thereby obstructing the course of justice and compromising the internal security of Punjab.”The complaint further added, “The Chief Minister further said the explosions were a precursor to planned acts of desecration intended to incite religious fervour. By doing so, he has linked a national security incident to sensitive religious issues. This serves only to heighten communal anxiety and has the potential to trigger social unrest and riots on religious grounds in the sensitive border State of Punjab. The remarks are capable of provoking violence, disturbing Communal harmony, and endangering the peace and stability of the State.”The leaders therefore demanded that an FIR be lodged against the CM for ‘defamation, spreading misinformation, disturbing communal harmony’ of the state. The complaint was signed by 13 party leaders, including Sushil Sharma, Manoranjan Kalia, Rakesh Rathour, Sushil Rinku, KD Bhandari, Sarabjit Makkar, Avinash Chander, Karamjit Kaur, Punit Shukla, Raman Pabbi, Manjit Singh Titu, Rajesh Kapoor and Amarjit Singh Goldy.