Kejriwal Alleges Conspiracy Over Sukhbir Badal Assassination Attempt: 'Big Conspiracy To Defame Punjab'

Arvind Kejriwal lauded the Punjab Police for their vigilance in preventing a major incident and hit out at the BJP government for lawlessness in Delhi and other BJP-ruled states.

AAP convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday condemned the assassination attempt on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal, calling it a 'big conspiracy.'

He also lauded the Punjab Police for their vigilance in preventing a major incident and hit out at the BJP government for lawlessness in Delhi and other BJP-ruled states. A former terrorist open fired at Badal while he was performing 'sewa' outside the Golden Temple on Wednesday morning.

"Today an incident happened in Punjab, someone tried to shoot at former Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal but due to the alertness of Punjab Police, a big accident was averted. Sukhbir Badal is safe. I condemn this incident. But one thing is clear that a big conspiracy is being hatched to ruin and defame Punjab and Punjabis and behind this many big forces are involved," Kejriwal said while speaking in Delhi assembly. 

"Today the way Punjab Police not only stopped this incident but also set an example in front of the whole country that how law and order can be maintained with alertness," he added.

The attack, which took place at around 9:30 am, was captured on cameras of media persons who had gathered outside the Sikh shrine to cover the second day of Badal's penance for mistakes committed by the SAD government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

The AAP leader also hit out at the BJP claiming a rise in crime in the national capital. "Murders are taking place openly in Delhi, shootouts are taking place openly, the entire capital is in the control of gangsters, drugs are being sold everywhere, women are being raped, the entire BJP becomes silent and their top leaders say that crime is not an issue, law and order is not an issue in Delhi," he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also condemned the attack on Badal and directed police to investigate the incident. The chief minister lauded the promptness of the Punjab Police in nabbing the attacker. He also said that the entire incident will be probed impartially.

"Punjab Police prevented a major incident from happening today. It is the result of the promptness of the Punjab Police that the conspiracy to defame Punjab and Punjabis has failed," Mann said in a post on X. 

Meanwhile, Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi called the incident a failure of the Punjab government.

"This is the failure of the current Punjab government, their immaturity is visible. It has become clear that they are not able to run the administration properly. Such incidents keep happening in Punjab often, but because it happened with Sukhbir Singh Badal, now people are getting to know about it. People are being extorted in cities and villages, money is being collected by threatening them. There is no law and order in the state. The administrative qualities that a leader should have are not there in our Chief Minister. Another direct reason for this attack on Sukhbir Singh Badal is that people have anger and resentment against him which has now come to the fore," the Congress MP said.