Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday asked Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to educate the State Congress president, Sunil Jakhar, on Sikh religious ethos and governance.
Claiming that Jakhar had fallen flat on his face while trying to espouse on both in his eagerness to please his bosses, SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra said it was strange that Jakhar had like an uninitiated recruit tried to question the Sikh credentials of SAD while choosing to speak on an administrative lapse by the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA).
“Instead of questioning the ADA and demanding why it had not checked display of liquor advertisements on giant screens of the heritage street adjoining Darbar Sahib after the Congress government took over the reins of the state, Jakhar started claiming that the SAD had not even spared the Harmandir Sahib,” he said, while reminding Jakhar of army attack on the Golden Temple under Congress’ Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s rule.
Chandumajra said: “Apparently Jakhar even distorted facts to state that entire advertising contract had been given to a private company for a sum of Rs five lakh per year which is not true.
He pointed that the contract is for `50 per annum, out of which, `5 lakh is given to ADA, and `45 lakh to the municipal corporation. Jakhar should immediately apologise for resorting to lies and deceit on such a sensitive matter, he added.
Asking Capt Amarinder to rein in the “inexperienced” PPCC chief, Chandumajra said that Jakhar should be instructed not to comment on sensitive issues without first checking the veracity of his claims thoroughly.
“Such kind of immature behaviour has made the entire Punjab Congress an object of ridicule.
It has also hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs who know that it is the Congress Government which failed to monitor the content being shown in the heritage walk and instead of admitting this fault tried to put the blame on the previous SAD- BJP Government,” he added.