India News | Centre's Act of Granting More Powers to BSF Concerted Attack on Constitutionalism
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Congress on Thursday described the Centre's act of granting more powers to the Border Security Force (BSF) as a concerted attack on constitutionalism and design to dilute and abolish federalism.
New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday described the Centre's act of granting more powers to the Border Security Force (BSF) as a concerted attack on constitutionalism and design to dilute and abolish federalism.
The government had on Wednesday increased the powers of the BSF by increasing their jurisdiction in poll-bound Punjab by up to 50 km from the international border.
Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2022: RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary Rules Out Alliance With Congress.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said this is a conspiracy to take away the powers of elected governments in states.
"There is a concerted attack on constitutionalism. There is a designed conspiracy to dilute and abolish federalism, and there is a design on part of the Modi government to take away the powers of elected governments in states by way of this order," he told reporters.
Also Read | Delhi Police Arrests 2 People for Kidnap and Murder of 9-Year-Old Boy in Uttam Nagar.
"This is a dirty trick and dirty politics being played by the Modi government to usurp power through indirect means, for the BJP has become irrelevant in Punjab and to find that lost political relevance they are now misusing this power without consulting states and in absolute abrogation and derogation of the federal structure of the country," Surjewala said.
This is unacceptable as the action of the central government is completely unconstitutional, he said.
"This is unconscionable and this can never be accepted in our federal polity what (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji is seeking to do, is unseat elected governments by misuse of autocratic powers without consulting the states and taking over 50 per cent of Punjab from an elected government, whether it is the Punjab Police or the administrative control of the government," he said.
The Congress leader said that the party will never accept it and urged upon every citizen to oppose this “draconian and autocratic measure being forced upon democracy by annihilating the constitution and federalism by the Modi Government".
Assembly elections in Punjab are due early next year.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)