BSF Jurisdiction: All-party Meet Begins In Punjab

An all-party meeting convened by Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi began here on Monday to discuss the Centre’s recent enhanced jurisdiction of the Border Security Force.

Leaders from various political parties were seen arriving at Punjab Bhawan for the meeting.
The main opposition party, Aam Aadmi Party, will be represented by Bhagwant Mann and Aman Arora whereas Daljit Cheema and Chandumajra will be Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) representatives.

Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal were among those who arrived at Punjab Bhawan for the meeting.

Meanwhile, BJP’s Punjab unit decided to boycott the meeting stating that there is no conflict between the BSF and the state police.

Senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia said, “BSF is a concurrent list subject. Along with the BSF, the Punjab Police can also carry out searches and register cases. The drones are used to smuggle weapons and drugs and to stop these illegal activities, the jurisdiction of BSF has been widened.”

Alleging that the Congress government in Punjab has not delivered the promises that they made in the manifesto, Kalia said, “During the all-party meeting, the Congress government should discuss the party manifesto.”Referring to Captain Amarinder Singh and Sunil Jakhar’s support of the Centre decision to extend BSF jurisdiction to 50 km inside the international border in the state, Cheema said that the Congress party should clarify as some of the party’s leaders are supporting the decision. (ANI)