PATIALA: Condemning the registration of a case against
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers on the complaint filed by MP
Bhagwant Mann's personal security officer, party's ousted leader of opposition
Sukhpal Singh Khaira suggested that the Sangrur MP should have remained calm and patient instead of getting the party workers booked.
Khaira, who was in Patiala to meet AAP volunteers, told Mann to follow party chief
Arvind Kejriwal's example. He recalled the incident when the Delhi chief minister was slapped. He said instead of getting the person booked, Kejriwal had visited the family of his attacker.
Mehal Kalan police district on Tuesday booked five persons for rioting on Monday when Mann had gone there to attend the cremation of AAP MLA Kulwant Singh Pandori's father at the cremation ground of Pandori village in Barnala.
Khaira refuted the allegations of provoking anyone to indulge in violence. He said, "I never ask anyone to indulge in violence, instead I give a call to everyone to remain peaceful and do not even assassinate the character of any leader. There are two kinds of thoughts now prevalent in Punjab-one is to work in accordance with the AAP leaders in Delhi and another is that people want independent party leadership in Punjab. Mann should not get his own party workers booked as they had got angry on his statement that one who is supporting Khaira and others are agents of BJP and RSS."
When contacted, Khaira said, "Though the workers' act of provoking Mann was not right, he is a mature person. His slapping a case on workers is uncalled for. I do not approve of it."
MP Bhagwant Mann
