Rejecting reports of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing 2015’s sacrilege and related firing cases, giving clean chit to the Akali leadership in the Behbal Kalan firing case, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday said that a single challan submitted so far in the Court was being erroneously interpreted to mean that the Akalis were innocent in the matter.

“The media is twisting select information to mean something that has nowhere been concluded by the SIT,” said Capt Amarinder while talking informally to the media-persons after accompanying Congress candidate Sher Singh Ghubaya to file his nomination papers from Ferozepur, where he is pitted against SAD president Sukhbir Badal.

SIT had, in fact, made it clear that its investigations were still in progress and it would be filing more challans to supplement the one it had filed so far against a single police officer, the Chief Minister pointed out, asking, “How can a partial investigation and a single challan be taken to mean a clean chit to the Akalis?”

The Chief Minister reiterated that once the probe into the case was completed, anyone found guilty of involvement, howsoever high and mighty he might have been, would be punished as per law. He, however, clarified once again that he would not indulge in political vendetta to nail the Badals or anyone else in this or any other case.

In response to a question, the Chief Minister reiterated his earlier stand on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that the Congress did not need a non-existent outfit with no presence in Punjab. The Congress was well positioned to sweep the Lok Sabha polls in the state on its own, he added.

Asked about the bribery allegations against Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Capt Amarinder said that the SDM had already done an inquiry into the charges and found them to be totally wrong. The opposition had no election plank to fight the polls and was indulging in falsehoods and unfounded allegations to mislead the voters, he added.

The Chief Minister asserted that Sunil Jakhar would win the Gurdaspur seat hands down, with Sunny Deol just a fly-by-night candidate who would simply disappear. Deol’s rally had been a total flop, he added.

Replying to a question on the farmers’ agitation, the Chief Minister said that his government had already given loan relief and would continue extend more support to them as the state’s fiscal situation improves.

On a question about crop damage due to unseasonal rains, Capt Amarinder made it clear that his government would not let the Centre impose any cuts on procurement of discoloured wheat grain. “Why should the farmer pay for a natural calamity,” he asked, adding that his government would approach the Centre to ensure that this does not happen.

CAPT ASKS KHATTAR TO REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING ON PUNJAB CONGRESS OR RAHUL, TELLS HIM TO TALK OF MODI

Rupnagar: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder, taking strong exception to the remarks of his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar on Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in the context of Punjab electoral scene, on Monday asked the BJP leader to stop commenting on Punjab and the Congress leadership and instead “talk about his own state and his own leader, Narendra Modi”.

Terming as ridiculous Khattar’s remark that Congress leaders in Punjab were not taking Rahul’s name during electioneering, Capt Amarinder said that the Haryana Chief Minister was neither clued into what was happening in Punjab or the Congress here, nor did he have any locus standii to speak about matters relating to our state.

“Why does he not talk of Modi and the BJP in Haryana?” asked Capt Amarinder while talking with the media after accompanying the party nominee Manish Tewari to file his nomination papers from Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency.