Amid the latest disclosures of a CIA report on Punjab extremism, the political parties in the State have sharpen their attack on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal indicating that he sided with extremists during dark days of militancy.
As the State Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday blamed Badal for the spread of terrorism in the state while vowing to make him pay for his sins, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asserted
that the “opportunist” Badal instigated violence to build his political career.
AAP, at the same time, questioned the BJP for its alliance with SAD and bonhomie with Badal family.
Making a scathing attack on Badal at a public rally in Bathinda Rural assembly segment, Capt Amarinder said that the Akali leader was clearly responsible for the killings of thousands of innocent people at the hands of terrorists during Punjab’s darkest days.
He referred to the CIA report to point out that Badal had always been working “to promote his personal fortunes by heading his own SAD dissident party and siding with Sikh extremists against the State Government”.
Capt Amarinder recalled that Badal had failed to turn up for discussion a day before the attack on Golden Temple as he was in the know about impending military operation and had clearly decided to run away instead of facing the situation.
He earlier swore at Akal Takht that he would stop the army at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing his life but ran away when the crisis erupted, Capt Amarinder pointed out, adding that Badal had played the communal card even earlier to promote his political and electoral interests.
The latest incidents appeared to be an attempt by the Akalis to create communal polarisation ahead of the Assembly polls, he said.
Mounting its attack on Badal for his alleged links with the extremists and instigating violence in the border state to meet his vested political interests during the dark decade of militancy in the 80s, AAP’s Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi said that the fresh revelations on Operation Blue Star and spread of militancy in Punjab has unmasked an opportunist face of Badal.
The document ‘India and the Sikh challenge’ posted on the website of CIA has underlined the fact that Badal had stood with the extremists against the state to further his political career.
“Badal is solely responsible for exploiting sentiments of Sikhs in the name of religion and fomenting confrontation with the state to make his political fortunes. Thousands of Sikh youth, innocent Sikhs and Hindus were killed during troubled periods. Badal is fully responsible for the
turmoil and its consequences that Punjab continue to face even after four decades,” Ghuggi added.
Also questioning SAD’s ally, the BJP, for having political ties with Akali Dal and bonhomie between Badal and leaders of RSS, BJP, the AAP leader asked the BJP leadership to explain the motive of keeping alliance with SAD and must clarify its stand on exposures made in CIA papers.
“What Badal was doing 36 years back, his son Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal has been playing same mischief of sparking communal strife in Punjab to promote his political interests. Sacrilege of holy Guru Granth Sahib, the Geeta and Quran Sharif are acts in same lineage. Badal family is most hated family in Punjab’s recent history and their sins are unforgiveable,” Ghuggi said.
He accused Sukhbir for launching a “sinister campaign” against AAP leaders blaming them for links with radicals and also branding NRIs from Canada as terrorists to make political gains.
“Sukhbir Badal himself promoted radical groups and gangsters to use them for political purposes. CIA document is slap on the face of Sukhbir Badal,” Ghuggi added.