Punjab Congress today alleged SAD's proposed protests on border against what it claimed to "pressurise the BSF" to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan will be "highly demoralising" for the force and sought slapping of sedition charge against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
State Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa also demanded imposition of the President's rule in the state claiming that the move was "unprecedented" and will lead to "public disorder and incite violence at the already tense Indo-Pak border and hence is seditious in nature."
The Opposition party's attack came a day after the BJP ally Shiromani Akali Dal announced to organise dharnas on the international border on January 5 to "pressurise the BSF" to stop entry of drugs from Pakistan.
"Sukhbir Badal's announcement to hold the 'dharnas' is highly demoralising for the para military force (BSF) and virtually accuses them of complicity.
"Such statements must be strongly deprecated and any attempt to malign the image of our armed forces or para military forces must be seen as anti national," Bajwa said.
Immediate reaction from Badal was not available.
SAD will hold 'dharnas' at four places-- Attari international border, Sadki Check Post at Fazilka, Hussainiwala international border and Gurdaspur international border.
BJP president Amit Shah is also set to start an anti-drug campaign from January 12.
Badal had yesterday said through the 'dharnas' they will "pressurise the Border Security Force (BSF) to stop drugs from entering Punjab territory from Pakistan."
"While Amit Shah has announced to begin the BJP's national anti-drug campaign from Amritsar on January 12, Sukhbir has announced a parallel 'dharna' against the brave soldiers of the BSF guarding the sensitive and active border, which is therefore in effect a 'dharna' against the Narendra Modi-led Central government.
"Both BJP and SAD are confronting each other to take credit on the drugs issue at the cost of endangering the hard won peace in this border state," the Punjab Congress chief said in a statement here today.
He claimed that after the "aggressive campaign" of Congress against the drug menace, "both the parties have now realised the gravity of the drug epidemic and are just trying to compete with each other to score brownie points".
"Sukhbir's action seems like devil quoting scriptures," he alleged.
Bajwa demanded that the President, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, should immediately dismiss the SAD-BJP alliance government.
