Hailing the Congress party for appointing a Sikh as the Prime Minister of the country, the Shiromani Akali Dal (longowal), which recently announced its “full support” to the party, on Monday questioned BJP if it could do so.
“During the Congress-led UPA regime, a Sikh was appointed the Prime Minister and chief of the Army staff and a Sikh ran the financial affairs of the country. Can the BJP do soIJ” said former Governor and chief of SAD(l) Surjeet Singh Barnala. Barnala lashed out at the BJP for fielding Arun Jaitley from Amritsar seat by ousting a Sikh (Navjot Singh Sidhu). Nearly 65 per cent of voters in the Amritsar constituency are Sikhs, he said. “By fielding Jaitley, BJP had tried to make inroads into the Sikh community and its affairs,” Barnala said.
Welcoming Congress’ decision to field Capt Amarinder Singh, Barnala said that his party’s “unconditional” support to Congress was because “its motive is to keep communal forces at bay and put an end to mafia rule in Punjab”. Rubbishing Akali Dal’s claim that Barnala family was a Congress “stooge”, he said: “We are Akalis by heart, but the present Akali Dal had changed completely with the Badal family controlling it.”
Training his guns at SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal, Barnala said: “Badal had sacrificed the Akali Dal and denigrated the party’s character.”Maintaining that he and his family would work for Capt Amarinder’s victory, Barnala said, “Amarinder is not only a true Sikh, but a true soldier as well.”