Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 23 (ANI): Punjab Bhartiya Janata Party chief Ashwani Sharma met former chief minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh, who recently joined the party and also merged his Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with it.

Chandigarh [India], September 16 (ANI): BJP President Ashwani Sharma on Friday hit out at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab claiming that the law and order situation had deteriorated in the six months of its rule in the state.

Chandigarh [India], August 1 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab unit on Sunday hit out at the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the state calling them a political outfit which believes in "sheer propaganda and publicity" while alleging that the party spent Rs 42 lakhs to do "propaganda" of saving of Rs 21 lakhs in the name of presenting a paperless budget.

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], May 29 (ANI): The Punjab unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a series of programmes from the booth level to the district level marking the eighth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.

Chandigarh Jan 21 PTI Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Kumar Sharma has been fielded from Pathankot for the February 20 state Assembly polls said the party in a statement released late Friday night Sharma is a former MLA from Pathankot Earlier in the day the BJP released its first list of 34 candidates including 13 Sikhs nine Dalits and two women for the election to the 117-member Punjab Assembly The BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with former chief minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal Sanyukt The BJP earlier used to fight 23 seats when it had an alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal PTI CHS SUN RDK RDK

Chandigarh Jan 20 PTI The BJP and the SAD on Thursday targeted Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi saying the recovery of crores of rupees from his nephews premises by the Enforcement Directorate has busted his common man image Both parties asked Channi to explain the seizure of money from his nephews residence a day after the Punjab CM alleged that efforts are being made to trap him in a false case The Enforcement Directorate ED on Wednesday had said it seized Rs 10 crore in cash including about Rs 8 crore from the premises of Channis relative The raids were conducted in connection with an anti-money laundering investigation against illegal sand mining operations in the poll-bound state In a statement the ED had said incriminating documents related to illegal sand mining and property transactions mobile phones gold worth more than Rs 21 lakh and a Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh were also seized Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma on Thursday said the seizure of cash gold and a expensive watch has busted the false image of a humble common man cultivated by the CM He asked the Punjab CM to refrain from making statements that he is being targeted because he belongs to the Scheduled Castes community Corruption has no religion and the BJP will never tolerate it Our party follows zero tolerance to corruption said Sharma adding that law enforcement agencies should reach to the roots of the crime Former union minister and Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that Channis family members minted crore of rupees through illegal sand mining during his 111-day stint as the CM In Bathinda Harsimrat Badal alleged Now after the Enforcement Directorate raids on the residence of the chief ministers nephew and recovery of money and goods it is very much clear and the sand mafia in the state is being run by Mr Channi She demanded that the self-proclaimed poor chief minister should tell Punjabis how his relative was found to be in possession of the money The Bathinda MP said during the last five years the Congress government had completely ruined Punjab All development works started by the erstwhile government led by Parkash Singh Badal were stalled The government reneged on all promises made to each and every section of society she said The poor and Scheduled Castes section of society were oppressed with social welfare schemes being severely pruned and even closed altogether she said in a party statement PTI CHS SUN RDK RDK

New Delhi [India], January 16 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party will hold an important meeting at the party headquarters on the Punjab Assembly polls tomorrow afternoon to discuss seat sharing with its allies, Captain Amarinder Singh's Punjab Lok Congress Party and Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt), said sources in the party.

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], January 6 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party president of Punjab unit Ashwani Sharma on Thursday demanded an answer from the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and asked him to "speak up", a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed event at Ferozepur in Punjab on Wednesday had to be cancelled owing to a security lapse.

Ludhiana Dec 31 PTI Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma on Friday said if BJP comes to power in the state after next years election it will give corruption-free government generate employment and provide a congenial atmosphere for the industry to flourish We will create such a Punjab as will make fast progress in all spheres and once again return to its days of glory for which it was once known Sharma told reporters here in presence of Union Minister and partys state election In-charge Gajendra Singh Shekhawat On the occasion the party launched its election campaign slogan Nava Punjab BJP De Nal Sharma said every Punjabi wants to make a contribution in making a new Punjab He said people of Punjab for the last seven years have witnessed policies launched by BJP-led central government that aimed at welfare of the poor farmers and common sections of society I urge people of Punjab to be part of our campaign of building a Nava Punjab he said Meanwhile later in the day Shekhawat and Sharma traveled to Ferozepur to take stock of arrangements being done in view of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit there on January 5 Modi is scheduled to inaugurate a satellite centre of the Chandigarh-based Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research PGIMER in Ferozepur district on January 5 He is also likely to address a rally after the event PTI COR SUN VSD VN VN

Amritsar Dec 18 PTI A man hailing from Uttar Pradesh was beaten to death after he allegedly attempted to commit sacrilege inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday evening The incident drew sharp reactions from political leaders with Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi ordering a probe into it The incident took place when the man jumped golden grills inside the sanctum sanctorum picked a sword and reached near the place where a Sikh priest was reciting the holy Guru Granth Sahib The man was caught by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee SGPC task force members When he was being taken to the SGPC office angry crowd thrashed him badly that later led to his death Deputy Commissioner of Police P S Bhandal said the man hailing from UP could be around 25 to 30 years of age and his antecedents are being verified All CCTV cameras are being checked to know when he entered the Golden Temple and how many people were with him After the incident a large number of Sikh devotees and various Sikh outfits slammed the SGPC for its laxity A heavy police force has been deployed around the SGPC complex at Teja Singh Samundri Hall to maintain law and order Several political leaders condemned the alleged sacrilege attempt at the Golden Temple Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi ordered a probe into the matter CM CharanjitChanni strongly condemned the most unfortunate and heinous act to attempt sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in the sanctum sanctorum of Sri Harimandir Sahib during the path of Sri Rehras Sahib according to a tweet by the Chief Ministers Office CM directed state police authorities to thoroughly probe into entire matter to zero in at the underlying motive and real conspirators behind this dastardly act CM also called SGPC president and assured his governments full support and cooperation to get into the bottom of the case said another tweet Akali stalwart and five-time chief minister Parkash Singh Badal described it as a heinous attempt which was deeply shocking and exceedingly painful Badal said the crime was too reprehensible for words and it has caused deep anguish and outrage in the minds of the Sikh masses all over the world Badal said it was unbelievable that such a painful and brazen crime could be committed at the holiest shrine of humanity by a single individual adding that the possibility of a deep-rooted conspiracy behind it cannot be ruled out He said the whole conspiracy needs to be probed exposed and those behind it be given exemplary punishment Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too condemned the incident and said the culprit should be strictly punished Everybody is in shock This could be a big conspiracy The culprits should get the harshest punishment said Kejriwal in a tweet Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal expressed shock and disbelief at the incident In a statement here Sukhbir Badal said it is impossible to believe that this could be the act of just one person There is clearly a deep-rooted conspiracy behind it he said The former deputy CM said there seems to be a conspiracy to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state He criticised the state government saying that there were strong indications of such a conspiracy was being hatched Only the other day there was a shocking incident of gutka sahib holy book being thrown into the holy sarovar After that the state agencies could not have been unaware of a deep-rooted conspiracy that led to todays shocking sequence of events he said But no one did anything nor took any steps to prevent such a heinous crime from happening What are the intelligence agencies doing he asked BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also condemned the incident and asked the Punjab government to unearth the conspiracy behind it In a statement Sirsa said the incident has sent shock waves throughout the world as never in the history of Darbar Sahib such an attempt has been made He said the failure of the Congress government in solving previous sacrilege cases has resulted in repeat of such incidents He said it should also be probed why such incidents occur at the time when elections are round the corner Congress MP Preneet Kaur also expressed deep shock over the incident Deeply shocked and appalled by the attempted beadbi of Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Sri Darbar Sahib today The matter should be probed properly to ascertain the real culprits behind this brazen attempt she tweeted Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma also condemned the incident Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh said the incident has caused spiritual pain to Sikhs all over the world It is a matter of great sorrow that such an incident took place at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib from where the message of universal communion is conveyed to all mankind he said PTI JMS CHS VSD RDK RDK