New Delhi: Congress on Tuesday attacked BJP over the assault on journalists by police during a clash at 'godman' Rampal's ashram in Hisar saying it was "unacceptable and extremely unfortunate" and demanded an apology from Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
AICC general secretary and communication department chief Ajay Maken said the BJP governments at the Centre and Haryana have shown "immaturity" and "lack of will" in dealing with the controversial 'godman' and condemned police's attack on media.
In the same vein, he also slammed the ruling dispensation for providing Z-security cover to yoga guru Ramdev.
Taking a dig, Congress said BJP's "will power" awakens when it has to "placate" Ramdev and provides him Z-security cover. BJP, Maken said, also "worked overtime to please the controversial head of Dera Sachcha Sauda before Haryana elections to gain votes of its followers".
"But when there is no vote in sight, its (BJP) will power disappears as we have seen in Hisar," he said.
"Congress condemns the attack on media by Haryana Police. We believe the way things have been handled in this whole issue shows not only the lack of experience of the newly- elected BJP government in Haryana but also its political and administrative immaturity.
"We can go a step further and will say that it seems that Haryana government as well as the Centre, as it would have intelligence, have shown their lack of will in handling the matter," Maken told reporters.
His remarks came after several persons, including security and media personnel, were injured as clashes erupted at the ashram in Barwala in Hisar.
Media crews faced the brunt of the violence that left some of them injured while cameras of many private electronic news channels were broken.
"The attack on media at Rampal's ashram is unacceptable and extremely unfortunate. Reporters and cameramen have been brutally beaten up and injured by the police in mindless lathi charge.
"This assault on media is a demonstration of the fact that Haryana government did not wish to be put under media scrutiny in handling the Hisar ashram crisis," Maken said.
