Protests against Harsimrat Badal result of people's anger against SAD: Captain Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday ridiculed Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal's allegations that his government was not doing enough to prevent "anti-social elements" from disrupting her poll rallies.

"It was the people's wrath that they were venting out on Shiromani Akali Dal leaders," he said.

Expressing surprise over protests against the Akali leader, Singh said, "Anger of the people who had been victimised for the last 10 years by the Badals and their cronies was now finding a voice."

"The fact that Harsimrat was prevented from entering a village in her own constituency only showed that 'karma' was catching up fast with the Badals, who had made the people of Punjab shed tears of blood over their decade-long misrule," Singh said in a statement.

The Union Minister sat on a dharna on Maur-Rampura road in Bathinda alleging the police's failure to stop "anti-social elements from disrupting her election meetings and showing black flags."

She also launched her protest after some persons holding black flags raised slogans and tried to enter her election meetings at Balianwali village in Bathinda.

Later in the evening on Saturday, some protesters with black flags reached the venue of her election meeting at Mandi Kalan village.

Chief Minister Singh also trashed Harsimrat's charges of misusing the government machinery to sabotage her campaign and said that Akali leaders sabotaged their political prospects with their misdoings.

He said: "The Akalis have sabotaged their own prospects with their misdeeds, including their attempts to polarise the people with sacrilege cases."

"They had put the entire government machinery in motion prior to the Assembly elections but had been routed in the polls by the wrath of the people," he said.

The Chief Minister alleged that Harsimrat failed to do anything for Punjab and Bathinda, her constituency, even after being a Central minister.

"It was natural for the people to protest against her and not hear her dish out more propaganda and falsehoods," he said.

"Did she really expect the people to welcome her with open arms after what the Badals did to them," Singh asked.

Voting for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab will take place in the last phase of seven-phased General Elections on May 19. The counting of votes will begin on May 23.