Union minister Bittu slams Punjab AAP chief Aman Arora for his 'protection of gangster' remark

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Monday came down heavily on Punjab AAP president and minister Aman Arora over his reported remark that the Centre is "protecting" gangsters, and termed it "irresponsible and highly condemnable".

In a statement, Bittu, the Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing, also accused Arora of trying to deflect attention from the AAP government’s failure to maintain law and order in the state.

The Union minister said that he would write to the Punjab governor, urging him to take cognizance of Arora’s “baseless allegations”.

He also sought written clarifications from Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and Chief Secretary K A P Sinha, questioning whether Arora’s statement reflected the official position of the Bhagwant Mann-led government.

"Aman Arora’s claim that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is safe in Gujarat under Centre’s protection is nothing but an excuse to hide the AAP government’s incompetence. These kinds of inflammatory and misleading remarks are both dangerous and unacceptable," Bittu said.

He reaffirmed that the central government has always taken a tough stance against terrorism and organised crime.

"We conducted surgical strikes inside Pakistan when needed. Do you think gangsters are beyond our reach? Once the BJP forms government in Punjab, we’ll show what decisive action really looks like,” Bittu said.

Pointing to the recent killing of businessman Sanjay Verma in Abohar, Bittu accused the Punjab government of completely surrendering to the gangster nexus. "Extortion threats and targeted killings have become the new normal for Punjab’s business community. Gangsters are ruling the streets in broad daylight,” he said.

Reiterating that law and order is a state subject, Bittu held the Mann government squarely responsible for the growing fear and lawlessness across Punjab.

"Instead of owning up to their failure, AAP leaders are shamelessly pointing fingers at the Centre. This is not governance— it’s a complete abdication of duty,” he added. PTI SKC SKC KVK KVK