Strongly rebutting the statement of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that Congress party did not observe the martyrs’ day, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday advised him to desist from playing cheap politics in the name of martyrs.
Asking Badal to set his records straight, Bajwa said that Congress party had a long history of making sacrifices for the nation, and honouring national martyrs is fundamental duty of Congress leaders.
Bajwa stated that he, along with senior party leaders, had visited Khatkar Kalan, at the memorial of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh on March 23, hours before Badal went there.
“Almost all newspapers have covered the event with pictures of him laying wreath on the memorial. I had chosen the day of March 23 for taking over his new assignment only because of martyrs' day,” he added.
Even after his return from Khatkar Kalan, he and other PPCC office bearers paid floral tributes to the martyrs Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at a function in Congress Bhawan.
PPCC chief added that utterances of Badal reflect his nervous mind. “Badal’s statement is uncalled for and out of context,” he said.
Bajwa stated, “let Badal tell the people of Punjab what his government has done to fulfill the dreams of national martyr's who sacrificed their lives for sake of justice to all sections of society.”