Days after Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab signed a “Knowledge Sharing Agreement” (KSA) with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government, Punjab Congress on Tuesday said this agreement is illegal and against the Constitution.

In a memorandum to the Punjab Governor, Banwari Lal Purohit, the Congress said the KSA is illegal and void as both the signatories, CMs of both the states, have no inherent power as per the provisions of the Constitution to enter into such agreement without due deliberation by the council of ministers of their respective states and without prior approval of the Punjab Governor as well as of the Lieutenant Governor of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The memorandum was submitted by a Congress delegation led by the Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, and Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.

“The Constitution of India is clear. All executive action is taken in the name of the Governor. Not the CM. Furthermore, the Oaths of Secrecy are broken through this agreement,” Bajwa tweeted.

“Punjab is a border state. National security is at stake. This illegal agreement will damage the interests of the State. Therefore we urge the Governor to step in and quash this agreement for the future of Punjab,” he said in another tweet.

In a separate memorandum, Congress sought Governor’s urgent attention to the alarming deterioration of the law and order situation in Punjab.

“Murders, loot, and robbery have become the norm of the day. Criminals are going scot-free and they do not have any fear of the law. The incumbent government headed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seems to have no clue about what is happening in the state. Moreover, they are busy somewhere else and with things that are not remotely concerned with the state,” it said.

Referring to the violent clash between two groups in Patiala on 29 April, Congress said it was a complete failure of the administration, and total anarchy was let loose in the streets of Patiala. “There was a sense of fear among people. This was all because the government failed to take any timely action. The replacement of some police officers was too little and too late and moreover just an eyewash to provide face-saving to the government,” the memorandum said.

It said police are being misused to settle personal scores with political opposition. Congress said the registration of FIR against poet Kumar Vishwas and Congress leader Alka Lamba is an example of how the police are misused to settle personal scores.