Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Sunday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab was trying to hush up the Bargadi sacrilege case. “Handing over the report to religious leaders does not certify it of any sanctity or truthfulness and the matter of the fact is that you are trying to hush-up the matter for the reasons best known to you,” Warring told the Chief Minister, while referring to the SIT report on sacrilege.
“AAP Government has betrayed all the expectations it had raised among people who voted it to power,” said Warring while warning the Government against serious ramifications as the issue related to emotions and sentiments of millions and millions of Sikhs and followers of the Guru Granth Sahib, world over.
Punjab Congress president said that AAP Government was following the script of the Akali Dal government, which had also tried to hush-up the matter. “The way the Akalis had handed over the case to the CBI, apparently to hush it up, as it failed to find anything and identify the culprits, same way the AAP has scripted a report that seeks to exonerate the real culprits”, he said.
“We are back to square one, as what the Akalis could not do, AAP did by giving clean chit to all those, whom entire Punjab knows are the guilty of sacrilege,” he said, while adding, “Punjab Congress will go back to people and ensure that justice is done in a case that concerns each and every Punjabi and in which some precious lives were lost”.
Senior Congress leader and Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also questioned the AAP Government for giving clean chit to the Badals on the issue of Bargari sacrilege, while in being opposition, they often used to accuse Capt Amarinder Singh of protecting them.
“While in opposition, Bhagwant Mann often alleged that Badals and Capt Amarinder Singh were hand in glove, particularly on the Bargari issue and that Capt Amarinder was protecting them,” said Khaira.
Referring to the final report by the Special Investigation on the Bargari sacrilege, which does not mention anything about the Badals, the Congress leader asked, should it mean that you are also hand in glove with the Badals and are now protecting them, the way you alleged Capt Amarinder was doing.
Bholath MLA said: “Despite clear evidence against the Badals in the Behbal Kalan firing case, which left two innocent protestors dead, the Mann Government had preferred to remain silent, thus giving clean chit to the Badals.”
“What is the reason for your silence now, as otherwise you were so vocal against them (the Badals) while in opposition?” Khaira asked, while remarking, “Or you have reached some secret understanding with them”.
Khaira said that it was an open secret that Sukhbir Badal as Deputy Chief Minister withdrew the blasphemy case against Dera Sacha Saudha chief from the Bathinda Sessions Court under a deal that the Dera voters would support them in the assembly elections, which they did.
“Thereafter, the Badals pressurised the then Jathedar of Akal Takhat Sahib to pardon the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda Chief for his blasphemous act of trying to copy Guru Gobind Singh. The firing took place at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan was on the instructions of the then Chief Minister Badal, who had called up the then DGP Sumedh Saini at 2 am of October 14, 2015, which is a part of Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report,” he added.