Channi demands immediate sack of Sukhbir Badal for fair polls in Punjab

CHANDIGARH : The Congress Legislature Party chief in Punjab Mr Charanjit Singh Channi today demanded that the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal must be dropped from the cabinet immediately as his patronage to the mafias and criminal gangs coupled with politicization of police as reflected in the high crime rate raised question marks on the conduct of free and fair Assembly election in February 2017. Talking to the media persons here, he said the Congress would move for special discussion on the deterioration of law and order situation in the forthcoming session of the Vidhan Sabha for which Mr Sukhbir Badal was directly responsible in his capacity as the Home Minister. He expressed the apprehension about fair conduct of the February Assembly elections saying he might use these elements to influence and rig the same even though the Election Commission takes over the civil and police administration. He stressed that his removal was virtually a pre-condition so that fear psychosis was not created during that period.