Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Sunday demanded action against Mohammad Mustafa, a key strategic adviser of state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, over comments he made at a public meeting in Malerkotla.
Mustafa is a retired IPS officer of Punjab cadre. He is the husband of Punjab minister Razia Sultana, who is contesting from Malerkotla, a Muslim-majority area.
The BJP and AAP have accused Mustafa of making communally inflammatory comments at a meeting in Malerkotla on January 20.
Amarinder told mediapersons on Sunday, “This man (Mustafa) should be behind bars. I listened to the video... He is trying to disturb Punjab peace,” ANI reported.
The BJP had circulated a video clip of Mustafa's purported statements. In the clip, he could be heard saying, “I swear by Allah that I will not allow them to hold any event. I am a kaumi fauji (soldier of community)… I am not a RSS agent who will hide in the house out of fear. If they again try to do such a thing, I swear by Allah I will thrash them in their homes…”
Mustafa denied he was referring to Hindus and argued he was referring to AAP workers, who had allegedly tried to manhandle him.
Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma said on Saturday his party will file a complaint against Mustafa with the Election Commission, seeking registration of a case against him.
AAP leader Raghav Chadha also castigated Mustafa for his remarks and alleged that the Congress was trying to disturb the atmosphere in the state before the state assembly polls.
Amarinder announces candidates
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Amarinder announced the names of 22 candidates of his Punjab Lok Congress for the upcoming assembly polls.
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The Punjab Lok Congress has been allocated 37 of the 117 seats in its alliance with the BJP and Akali Dal (Sanyukt). Media reports said the PLC is holding negotiations to get five more seats.
The Tribune reported, “Of the 37 seats in the PLC kitty, the maximum of 26 are from Malwa region. The PLC’s share in seat allocation for Majha region currently stands at seven, while Doaba region accounts for four seats.”
Interestingly, Amarinder has given the ticket for Malerkotla constituency to the wife of another former police officer. “Farzana Alam Khan, a former SAD MLA and wife of late DGP Izhar Alam Khan, will contest from Malerkotla,” The Tribune reported. Amarinder is contesting from Patiala Urban constituency.
(With PTI inputs)