Warning Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of the “nefarious anti-minority designs” of the Bharatiya Janata Party under Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Congress on Tuesday urged the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to snap ties with the saffron party.
The Congress asked the ruling SAD to take a cue from Janta Dal (United) to protect the interests of the minorities including the Sikhs while appreciating Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s move to severe 17-year-old alliance with the BJP following Modi’s elevation within the party as BJP’s poll campaign committee president.
“Nitish Kumar knowing well the intentions of his Gujarat counterpart towards the Muslims and minorities had took a bold decision of snapping ties with the BJP, to protect the interests of the minorities in Bihar,” said Punjab Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira.
Only a day before, Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa too expressed his apprehension son the BJP’s strategic move to launch their poll campaign from a place situates at the border of two sensitive states — Punjab and the Jammu and Kashmir.
“Badal and the SAD need to learn a lesson from the JD (U) and watch the interest of the Sikh community, who are a much smaller minority than the Muslims. If Badal holds Congress leaders like Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar responsible for the killings of innocent Sikhs in 1984 riots, so is Modi accused of killing innocent Muslims in Gujarat riots and fake encounters, is he not in the same league of Tytler and Sajjan Kumar,” Khaira questioned.
‘law and order in Punjab is at its worst during SAD-BJP regime’
Punjab Congress on Tuesday expressed concern over the rising crime against women and children. “The law and order in Punjab is at its worst during SAD-BJP regime. Rising number of cases of crime against children is in particular of serious concern. Situation in metro cities of Amritsar and ludhiana is deteriorating fast. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who also holds home portfolio, is mainly responsible for this,” said State Congress’ four vice-presidents in a joint statement.MlAs Tarlochan Singh Soond, OP Soni, Charanjit Singh Channi, and former MlA Gurpreet Singh Kangar, collectively, said that during 2012, about 877 crime cases against children were registered. They claimed that ludhiana and Amritsar cities have reported 24 percent of the total crime cases against children registered in Punjab.