MORE POWERS TO BSF A PRELUDE TO PUNJAB AS UNION TERRITORY ?

STEP A MAJORITARIAN INVASION; GIVING POWERS TO CENTRAL FORCE OVER STATE POLICE WILL LEAD TO CONFLICT

Giving sweeping powers to BSF with senselessly extended territorial jurisdiction; is not a simple routine order of the Ministry of Home affairs; it manifests a deep-rooted design of the BJP to rule Punjab through BSF. The malicious order seriously impedes and corrodes the well-defined doctrine of separation of power in the constitution of India and I’m afraid it would also encumber the legitimacy of the obligation of the Center and the State, defined under Article 256 of the Constitution of India.

The sinister design should be seen as ‘Majoritarian Invasion’ against the pride of the self-respecting, significant minority of India. The Punjab should view it as an act of vengeance and savagery against the spirit of the constitution and the constitutional guarantees given to the states in India under the constitution.   The impinged order of the Home Ministry has also exposed the façade of Prime Minister Narinder Modi’s ‘cooperative federalism’.

Giving intersecting and all-encompassing powers to the BSF over the State police, would bring both the forces into a direct conflict, over the areas of jurisdiction to deal with the nature of crime, under IPC and CrPC.  The faceoff between two forces would create much more cumbersome tribulations, entailing a clumsier situation in Punjab, giving a handle to the Centre to impose President’s rule in Punjab on the alibi of complete collapse of law and order situation in the State.

If you put five border districts of Punjab, which includes Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Tarn, Ferozepur and Fazilka, under control of the BSF, which means the BJP has practically wrested the control of half of Punjab, through BSF; under the wings of Mr. Amit Shah, the Home Minister.

The conspiracy of the BJP must be seen as a prelude to eventually declare Punjab as union Territory on the pattern of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. When the State of Jammu & Kashmir was bifurcated and reduced to two separate union territories in August 2019, I then cautioned the people of Punjab that Punjab will be the next priority agenda of the BJP and RSS in this direction.

Unfortunately, Capt. Amarinder Singh is the only politician from Punjab, who regretfully has supported such a regressive move of the Union Government, the implication of which is almost identical  to that of Armed forces (Special Power) Act 1952 (AFSPA) which has been in operation in North Eastern States for quite some time.

The BJP could resort to similar measures and may go to any extent by misusing its brutal majority in Parliament; they can even bring an ordinance conferring special powers to the Central Armed Police Forces which includes BSF also, on the design of AFSPA. 

There is no dearth of vulnerable people like Capt. Amarinder Singh, to support and back up such insidious moves, who is under constant pressures of Home Minister of India, because of having dubious links with a Pakistani  journalist Ms Aroosa Alam, who simultaneously maintain and enjoy great immediacy with former ISI Chief of Pakistan, Lieutenant  General Fiaz Hameed .