The event to celebrate the passage between India and Pakistan to Kartarpur Sahib turned into a political slugfest on Monday, with both the BJP-SAD and the Congress party indulging in a credit war for the corridor.
In an apparent attempt to take credit for the corridor and running each other down, the BJP-led Government at the Centre “projected” its alliance partner and local Akali leaders much to the annoyance of the ruling Congress party in Punjab.
The actual foundation stone, which was to be unveiled by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu along with Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, was replaced with a ‘digital’ one just a couple of hours before the ceremony after the state Cabinet Minister and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa objected over the plaque bearing names of the Badals.
That was not all! The function for laying the foundation stone for the Kartarpur corridor, organised by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), virtually turned into the ‘Congress-versus-Akali’ sloganeering contest with both sides refusing to allow the other to take the credit for the same.
While the Union Minister and SAD’s MP from Bathinda Harsimrat Badal used the stage to attack the “anti-Sikh” Congress party for its “hand” in 1984 riots and Operation Bluestar that irked the party workers who indulged in sloganeering against her, it was Punjab Congress president and Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar’s attack on the previous SAD-BJP government for drug menace in state that was opposed by Akali leaders present in the pandal and finally staging a walkout in protest.
The credit war, between the two, started from the day cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that Pak has assured him of opening the corridor before 550th birth anniversary of Sikhs’ first master Guru Nanak Dev after he was dubbed as “traitor” for hugging Pakistan army chief during his visit in August to attend Imran Khan’s swearing in ceremony as the Prime Minister.
Both sides claimed that it was they who first initiated the talk to build the passage and have been continuously taking up the issue with the concerned.
The political slugfest began after Randhawa noticed that the foundation stone also bear the names of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, SAD president and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and also Harsimrat Badal.
Peeved, Randhawa declared that he would “boycott” the event, while also putting a black tape on the stone to hide the names of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder, the state PWD Minister Vijay Singla and his own — forcing the organisers to remove the stone and replace it with a digital one which was unveiled by Naidu and Capt Amarinder by pressing a button.
The digital foundation stone, displayed on the mega screen, carried the names of Vice President Naidu, Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder and the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Randhawa, who has been on the forefront of this demand since years, justified his act saying that he boycotted the foundation stone as he cannot see his name and those of his ministerial colleagues along with the Badals.
“The Badals have no contribution in getting the Kartarpur corridor project cleared. They ruled Punjab from 1997 to 2002 and again for 10 years. Did they come here to offer prayers while in power? They are only trying to take credit just because they have an alliance with the BJP,” said Randhawa.
Randhawa also expressed his displeasure for “deliberately ignoring” the Congress leadership in Punjab, “including me, Gurdaspur MP Sunil Jakhar, and Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for the function while all attention is being given to the Badal family”.
What is more! The ceremony, organised to celebrate the approval of the governments of India and Pakistan to allow Kartarpur corridor to enable people to pray at the gurdwara in Pakistan, also witnessed leaders taking political pot-shots at eachother.
Harsimrat, in her address, talked about punishing the “big-fish” for 1984 anti-Sikh riots without taking any names, but giving enough indications regarding who were on her target. Her statement led to immediate sloganeering against her by the Congress leaders and activists present.
Even Randhawa too objected to her statement and raised the matter with the Chief Minister, who asked him to maintain calm.
Later during the vote of thanks, Gurdaspur MP Jakhar strike back at the Akalis by accusing them for pushing Punjab into the deadly drug menace. SAD leaders, led by Harsimrat’s brother and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, protested over the statement and indulged in sloganeering against Jakhar and the Chief Minister before leaving that venue. All through this, Sukhbir was sitting on the stage.
Condemning the Congress party and Randhawa for indulging in “cheap politics” by defacing the foundation stone even before start of the ceremony, Majithia said that the Minister’s action was shocking and shameful and totally unbecoming of a Sikh and a Punjab government minister.
“No Sikh would try to politicise and spoil such a solemn occasion associated with Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji by performing such an abominable act...His actions could be understood if one is to take into account his past...Not only does he belong to the Congress party which attacked Sri Darbar Sahab with tanks and mortars and indulged in massacre of Sikhs in 1984, but he is also from a family which lauded Indira Gandhi for the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib,” he said.
Majithia pointed that Randhawa;’s father Santokh Singh Randhawa had welcomed the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib.
He added that it was former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who had proposed establishment of the corridor with Pakistan in 1999 after the then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had taken up the issue with him. “Badal Sahab also led the Punjab assembly in passing a resolution for establishment of the corridor in 2010,” he said while asking the Congress party not to play politics on the issue.
Meanwhile, Punjab’s main opposition party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), lashed at the Akali and Congress leaders for “disgracing the mission of Guru Nanak Sahib by politicizing Kartarpur Sahib corridor function”.
Criticizing the “politically-motivated” actions by the Akali and Congress leaders, AAP MP and the state unit chief Bhagwant Mann said that it hurt the sentiments of crores of Sikhs and Punjabis residing worldwide, while requesting the Government to stop politicizing the issue and complete the corridor as soon as possible.
“The behaviour and actions of Congress Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, MP Sunil Jakhar, Akali leader Harsimrat Badal and Bikram Majithia were unsaid and immature. Disgracing Guru Nanak Sahib is the reflection of politically polluted minds of Akalis and Congress leaders,” he said.
Mann said that Harsimrat delivering a political speech from stage and Congress leaders raising slogans against her was absolutely wrong. Commenting on the statements of Sunil Jakhar to take action against those desecrated Sri Guru Granth Sahib and people indulged in drug trade, Mann said that Jakhar must first ask Capt Amarinder to stop shielding the Badals.
On Majithia raising slogans during Jakhar’s speech, Mann said that he has crossed all limits and it was the display of his mental bankruptcy.