Maintaining that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had failed to convince his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi to withdraw case in the Supreme Court to dislocate Sikh farmers from Kutch area, the State Congress on Friday said that his offer to provide legal help was just a “face saving” attempt.
“SAD is political alliance partner of BJP in Punjab and also member of BJP-led NDA at the national-level. Gujarat farmers had approached Badal to take up the issue with BJP leaders at political level and use his good offices,” said Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa, while addressing a party workers’ meeting.
“The farmers had not approached me for legal help since they have hired best lawyers for their case. The farmers had rightly rejected the legal help by SAD-BJP Government,” he added.
He said that the Congress party had time and again asserted that BJP was working on agenda of anti-minorities and the victimisation of Sikhs in Gujarat was another example of Modi’s political doctrine.
Rebutting Badal’s allegations of the Centre meddling in State’s affairs, Bajwa said that they were finding excuses to escape public fury against poor governance, corruption, deteriorating law and order situation and bad economy.