A day after Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh accused SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar of obstructing the course of justice by refusing to appear before the Justice Ranjit Singh commission probing sacrilege cases in the state, SAD president Sukhbir Badal on Monday accused the Congress leader of trying to “lower the dignity” of Sikh institutions including the SGPC by asking them to “submit” before a commission of inquiry.
“The commission has been set up to destroy all evidence of the Congress hand in the acts of sacrilege which were committed by our opponents merely to defame the Akali-BJP Government and turn the Sikhs away from it,” said Sukhbir adding that everyone in Punjab was “aware” of the authenticity of this commission.
“The utter absence of independence and neutrality of this commission is proved by the fact that it needs Amarinder to act as is its spokesperson,” he said.
Sukhbri said that Capt Amarinder's statement criticising the SGPC chief for refusing to cooperate with this commission is really the ultimate proof of the true motives behind the setting it up.
The former Deputy Chief Minister said the fact is that these acts of sacrilege were a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy against the then Akali-BJP Government and the Congress was its prime suspect. “And now, the Chief Minister expects us to validate his commission of inquiry which is set up only to provide a legal cover to those very acts of sacrilege,” he alleged.
He said that Capt Amarinder was merely continuing the old policy of the Congress of trying to "undermine" the sanctity and authority of Sikh institutions like the Akal Takht and the supreme elected parliament of the Sikhs, the SGPC in order to "destroy" the fountainhead of spiritual power of the Sikhs.
Punjab Government, in April, set up the Ranjit Singh Commission after it found the report submitted by the Zora Commission constituted by the previous SAD-BJP government "inconclusive". More than 120 incidents of desecrations of holy texts and religious places were reported in the State.