By Express News Service
NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The row over the Centre’s decision to extend the Border Security Force’s jurisdiction in Punjab, West Bengal and Assam is escalating, with the Opposition parties including the Congress on Thursday alleging that it was a design to dilute federalism and an infringement on the rights of the state.
The Congress, which is in power in Punjab, described the Centre’s decision as a “concerted attack” on constitutionalism while the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal claimed the decision was made without consulting the state government and demanded the withdrawal of the notification.
“There is a designed conspiracy to dilute and abolish federalism,” said Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
The AAP, too, flayed the Centre’s move as “dictatorship”, and said states should have been consulted before taking the decision. In poll-bound Punjab, politics is heating up over the matter. SAD leaders, including party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, were briefly detained by police in Chandigarh while trying to march towards the governor’s residence to protest the decision.
The state government has already appealed to the Centre to withdraw the notification empowering the BSF to carry out searches and arrests and make seizures up to an area of 50 km from the border with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
On Thursday, Punjab cabinet minister and former hockey Olympian Pargat Singh alleged former chief minister Amarinder Singh’s hand behind the move. Amarinder had supported the decision saying it was in national interest and politics should not be played over it.
“What is Amarinder trying to prove?…We respect you a lot so please do not do this…The centre’s decision is akin to taking over half of Punjab.” Sources in Punjab Police said while key towns and cities will be covered by the order, the power to probe cross-border crimes will remain with them.
Border cities coveredFor cross-border crimes, BSF could carry out searches up to 15 km of IB earlier that was mainly in villages. With this 50 km now, key towns/cities in districts like Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Ferozepur will be covered
