New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday slammed Punjab's AAP government over an attack on Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal outside the Golden Temple and questioned its ability to protect the state's common people.

In a press conference, the BJP's New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj also slammed AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, asking if the issue of safety was just an "election gimmick" for them.

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Kejriwal-led AAP has been trying to corner the BJP ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, due in February, alleging "rampant" crimes and deteriorating law and order in the national capital.

"If the Punjab government cannot ensure the safety of a former deputy chief minister on the Golden Temple premises, how can it guarantee the safety of the people? If such incidents occur in such a sacred place, what hope does the common man have?" Swaraj asked.

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The BJP MP also claimed that crimes against women in Punjab increased more than 10 per cent since AAP assumed power while the conviction rate in such cases had dropped below 20 per cent.

Swaraj criticised AAP's track record on safety and security, claiming that Punjab and Haryana High Court repeatedly reprimanded the Punjab government, its police, and investigative agencies.

Speaking at the Delhi Assembly, Kejriwal condemned the attack on Badal and lauded the Punjab Police for averting a "very big" tragedy.

He also hit out at the BJP, saying "very big powers" were conspiring to defame Punjab and its people.

"The Punjab Police not only averted a tragedy but also set an example of how to maintain law and order," the former Delhi chief minister said.

He added that the BJP raised the issue of the attack on Badal but the saffron party was silent on the "murders, rapes, shootings in Delhi", where policing was under the central government's ambit.

A former Khalistani terrorist fired from close range at Badal at the Golden Temple's entrance but missed as plainclothes policemen overpowered him.

The Shiromani Akali Dal leader was performing the duty of "sewadar" on the second day of his religious penance for "mistakes" committed by the party's government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)