Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Punjab chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said that police will be deployed for the security of people of the state as this is more important than "security of few people".
"Police stations are lying vacant. We will take only police work from police force. I think the security of the people of Punjab is more important than the security of few people," Bhagwant Mann told news agency ANI.
He was answering a query on reports that the new government removing the security of former ministers and MLAs.
"Earlier police personnel were deployed outside the houses of politicians while police stations used to lie vacant. For us, security of over 3 crore people is most important, police are meant to do policing and we will make them perform their duty," Mann said.
Meanwhile, Additional Director General of Police (security) has ordered the withdrawal of security cover of 122 former MPs and MLAs in Punjab.
The order was issued dated March 11, soon after the Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann met the Director general of police (DGP) and the chief secretary of Punjab after the Legislator party meeting.
Punjab ADGP (security) in a letter to the Superintendent of Police (SSPs) and Police Commissioners (CP) across the state ordered the withdrawal of security from 122 politicians.
The list includes names of senior Congress leaders, who got security cover under the previous government along with the names of Congress MLAs who won the Assembly elections this time from their seats but would no longer be the cabinet ministers.
Apart from senior leaders of BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former AAP MLAs, former cabinet ministers and former Assembly Speakers were also on the list.
Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who won from Gidderbaha seat, will lose his security cover of 21 personnel, which is the highest on the list.
The second on the list is former finance minister Manpreet Badal who lost the election from Bathinda Urban, will lose 19 security personnel.
Pargat Singh, India's former hockey captain who was the sports minister in the outgoing Charanjit Singh Channi-led government is third on the list with 17 security personnel and outgoing minister Rana Gurjeet Singh had 14 security personnel.
Some of the names of ministers are-- Manpreet Singh Badal, Raj Kumar Verka, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Former food minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former deputy speaker of Vidhan Sabha Ajaib Singh Bhatti, former Speaker of Vidhan Sabha Rana K P Singh, Razia Sultana, Pargat Singh, Aruna Chaudhary, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Simarjeet Singh Bainsa, Jagtar Singh Hissowal, H S Phoolka, Manoranjan Kalia, Chunni Lal Bhagat, Tikshan Sood and others.
The list also includes the name of Navjot Kaur Sidhu, former MLA and wife of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The order reads, the withdrawn police personnel will report to their parent units. It further said that the personnel deployed on specific orders of Courts will not be withdrawn.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann's swearing-in ceremony will be held on March 16.
(With inputs from Agencies)
