Chandigarh, Apr 8 (PTI) Opposition parties in Punjab on Tuesday slammed the AAP government over the hand grenade blast at BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia's residence in Jalandhar, saying it is a "chilling reminder" of the "complete collapse" of law and order and demanded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's resignation on moral grounds.

They also alleged the Punjab government of trying to wash its hands off its "incompetency, culpability and dereliction of duty".

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The parties claimed the blast occurred due to the "criminal negligence" on the part of Punjab Police's intelligence as well as the DGP and Home Minister Mann.

Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu alleged that it appeared to be a "well-planned conspiracy" against a senior and Hindu leader.

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Punjab BJP held protests at many places against the AAP government and shouted slogans against the Mann regime.

The blast occurred at Kalia's residence in Jalandhar early Tuesday when some unidentified persons hurled a hand grenade, damaging an aluminum partition, shattered glass windows of his home, his SUV and a motorcycle in the courtyard.

No one was hurt, police said.

Later, police arrested two persons and said it was the conspiracy of Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to create communal tension in Punjab.

Many political leaders including Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and Union minister Bittu visited the residence of Kalia.

Reacting to the blast incident, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh strongly condemned it and sought the resignation of Mann.

"The grenade attack on the residence of senior BJP leader and former minister Manoranjan Kalia is a chilling reminder of the complete collapse of law and order in Punjab under CM Bhagwant Mann's regime.

"This is not an isolated act of violence - it is part of a larger, dangerous conspiracy to destabilise Punjab, fuel communal unrest, and intimidate political voices. From RPG attacks on police intelligence HQs to grenade strikes on police stations, from sacrilege incidents at religious places to the shameful vandalism of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar's statues -? Punjab is being pushed into the dark alleys of terror and anarchy," Chugh posted on X.

He further added, "What's worse is the shocking silence and inaction of the chief minister, who also holds the Home portfolio. His repeated failures to protect the lives, property, and dignity of Punjabis prove he is unfit to govern. @BhagwantMann must accept moral responsibility and resign immediately. Punjab deserves peace, not propaganda."

Bittu alleged that it appeared to be a "well-planned conspiracy" against a senior and Hindu leader.

"It was an attack on Kalia's house. They (miscreants) threw a grenade at his residence. We used to hear about such incidents in Naxal areas or in Srinagar. These are now happening in Punjab," he said.

The law and order situation in Punjab is out of control of the AAP government, he alleged.

Expressing anguish over the incident, Bittu said the grenades were being thrown at police stations everyday as he was referring to the series of blast incidents in the past few months.

"Grenades were available in the hands of criminals like toys in Hamleys showroom," he said.

Bittu informed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Kalia over phone.

The union minister claimed that while AAP leaders from Delhi were provided heavy security cover, people are not feeling safe under the AAP regime.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar also slammed the AAP government for the blast incident.

He pointed out that a total of 14 explosion incidents have taken place in the past few months while raising questions over the law and order situation in the state.

"I hold the CM and the DGP personally accountable. How could they allow this to happen," he asked and alleged that both should resign.

"Everybody has been reduced to puppets. Be it Bhagwant Mann or DGP while those who have come from Delhi are calling the shots," he alleged while speaking to reporters in Jalandhar.

He questioned the Punjab Police's intelligence and said that he never saw that the intelligence was being used to gather information about political rivals, he said.

"It is a very sensitive issue. It is a border state. I want to ask Mann to give up or ask the Delhi AAP leaders to go back," he said.

When pointed out that the AAP blamed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan's ISI for the blast incident, Jakhar said, "the Punjab government is trying to wash its hands off its incompetency, culpability, dereliction of duty. It is a criminal negligence on the part of Punjab police's intelligence as well as DGP and Home Minister."

Referring to the series of blast, he said it was a well-planned conspiracy to disturb peace in the state.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal sought the resignation of Mann, who holds the home portfolio.

"Lawlessness has crossed all bounds in Punjab. After attacks on police stations, places of worship & vandalism of statues of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar, now the residence of a former minister & senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia has been subject to a grenade attack.

"All these incidents make it clear the @AamAadmiParty & chief minister @BhagwantMann are unable to come to grips with the situation. The CM must take moral responsibility for these incidents & resign immediately," said Badal in a post on X.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa also hit out at the chief minister over the incident.

"The grenade attack on Shri Manoranjan Kalia's residence is a stark reminder of the escalating violence in Punjab under CM @BhagwantMann's tenure. Since he assumed office, there have been multiple blasts, including the Mohali RPG attack in May 2022 and the series of grenade attacks on police stations in late 2024. This pattern underscores a significant lapse in maintaining law and order. If the Chief Minister @BhagwantMann cannot ensure the safety of citizens, he should step down," said Bajwa.

(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)