AMRITSAR: The Punjab chief minister, Beant Singh, recently indicated that his government would not allow Akali leaders to hold public meetings and rallies as they fomented antinational feelings.

Speaking to reporters here, the chief minister said the public meeting called by six Panthic organizations in Ludhiana was banned because it threatened to create a law and order problem. “The Panthic leaders had been giving provocative speeches to mislead the masses,” the chief minister said,

He denied that Congress had attempted to derive political advantage by pre-empting the moves of the Akali leaders to mobilize the masses.

On the issue of alleged state repression, the chief minister said such cases were an exception rather than rule.

Whenever a case of police atrocity was brought to his notice, action was taken against the erring officials, he said.

The chief minister denied reports appearing in a section of the Press that the state government intended to invoke TADA against journalists writing in favor of militants. The Press, he said, had been performing a positive role but there is a section which had been glorifying militancy, The government would appeal to his particular section to desist.

The state government would not take recourse to any repressive step against the Press and hoped that the governments appeals would solicit the desired results, he added.

While the state governments efforts to improve the law and order situation have brought positive results, the chief minister said development works were also being undertaken on a large scale,

Elections to the panchayats and zila parishads would be conducted within next six months to  complete the democratic process. He hoped that his party would perform well in the forthcoming municipal elections.

Patting the police for their performance to contain militancy in the state, the chief minister said that the government proposed to absorb the home guards into the police force because they were carrying out the duties of the police in the present situation. He said four battalions of the commandos would be raised shortly while about 7,000 more policemen had been inducted into the force.

Earlier, speaking at a bhog ceremony, the chief minister said militants were working against the Sikh tenets, culture and history.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1992