Even as the Punjab Police started investigations in the Maur Mandi bomb blast case looking for “terror link”, the political parties in Punjab have indulged in a blame game.
While the Akali Dal and the Congress have come on the same platform blaming Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the blast, the new entrant has launched an attack on Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal demanding his immediate arrest from the Election Commission.
Maur bomb blame lies on Kejriwal's shoulders: Capt
Patiala: Accusing AAP’s national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of promoting “extremist forces” like Khalistan Commando Force in Punjab, Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said that the bomb blast in Maur Mandi showed that the terror cells of the Khalistanis were again getting active.
He said that Kejriwal, who had allegedly stayed at a KCF extremist’s house in Punjab, was fanning terror forces through his actions, led by the dangerous mix of AAP extreme left and extreme right ideologies.
Capt Amarinder said: “Pakistan's spy agency, ISI, is waiting for such opportunities, triggered by extremist violence in India, to strike at the nation.”
“Fascist forces” like AAP and the Akali Dal, whose leader Parkash Singh Badal was to be blamed for the “increasing incidents of religious sacrilege” in the state, could go to any extent to “grab power”, he said.
“The Maur bomb blast in Bathinda, in which five persons were killed, including two children, showed that the inoperative terror cells of the Khalistanis were again getting active,” he said.
Capt Amarinder said that he had been repeatedly cautioning the Election Commission about entry of more than 40,000 outsiders, brought in by AAP from states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, but the poll body failed to take any action.
In clear terms, he said that the blame for the incident went to Kejriwal, who had been encouraging fascism and even if AAP is not “directly involved” in the explosion, it was clearly promoting extremist ideology and forces.
“Kejriwal obviously does not care who lives or dies,” said Capt Amarinder stressing the need to keep “AAP out of Punjab”.
“AAP leader seemed not to realise the implications of such actions,” he said, adding that Kejriwal will soon discover that “if you play with fire, you are also bound to get burnt”.
He said that the information revealed that two bombs had been planted in Maur to explode during the roadshow of the Congress candidate, but, fortunately, the second one did not go off. He also expressed his sympathies with the families of the victims.
Attacking Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for allegedly promoting fascism, Capt Amarinder said that he was responsible for the growing incidents of sacrilege in the state. “This was not impossible considering that even the RSS was found to be involved in the 1984 riots,” he claimed.
He alleged that Nabha jail break was also engineered by the Badals, who were trying desperately to “disrupt” the poll process as they are facing imminent defeat and wanted to spread fear among the electorate by letting loose armed gangs to pressurize the people into voting for the Akalis.
Kejriwal demands probe
Chandigarh: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched attack on Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal calling him a “hardened criminal” in a series of tweets, and demanding a probe in his role in Bhatinda blast.
AAP national convener has, in fact, asked the Election Commission to “arrest” Sukhbir for ‘peaceful elections’.
“Sukhbir Badal is hardened criminal who will go to any extent to ruin Punjab in its peace. EC MUST arrest him to ensure peaceful elections,” tweeted Kejriwal.
Kejriwal, on his official Twitter handle, stated, “To ensure peaceful elections, Sukhbir Badal shud be immediately arrested. His role in yesterday's blast b probed. He'll cause more violence”.
AAP, in an official press statement attributing to none, maintained that it “strongly suspect” that Sukhbir is behind the plot. “Serial target killings in the state, jail break in Nabha, shoot out in Jalandhar and then meeting of Sukhbir Badal’s partymen with liquor mafia and criminal Shivlal Doda in Fazilka leaves no suspicion that the free run to criminals has been given in the state only under the instructions of the Home Minister or Deputy Chief Minister of the state Sukhbir Badal,” stated AAP.
Condemning the “cowardly act”, the party also vowed to ensure harshest possible punishment to the perpetrators of the crime.
The statement read, “Connivance of Sukhbir Badal and other SAD leaders is the only reason why these killings, shoot outs, incidents of sacrilege have not been worked out and the criminals have not been sent to jail.”
It added that Sukhbir Badal and his family have plundered the state of Punjab “with the help of hardened criminals and self-proclaimed terrorists like Virsa Singh Valtoha…”.
“To commit a crime like this, with a clear intent to kill innocent people, one has to have a criminal and anti-national mindset that the Badals have, who have burnt the Indian Constitution in the past to show allegiance to Pakistan…Sukhbir is plotting terror crimes using his connection with India's enemies sitting across the border,” it added.
AAP for Sukhbir interrogation
Chandigarh: AAP’s delegation on Wednesday met Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) VK Singh seeking his immediate intervention for immediate arrest of Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal, who was “suspected” to plot any heinous crime in Punjab for “political gains”.
The party delegation, led by AAP’s national general secretary in-charge of Punjab affairs Sanjay Singh, “directly” blamed Sukhbir for Maur bomb blast and series of sacrilege incidents and demanded his immediate arrest for peaceful elections.
Sanjay Singh, while addressing the media earlier, said that AAP has given a complaint against Sukhbir Badal to the Election Commission seeking his arrest and interrogation. “We have no doubt that frustrated SAD and Congress are behind incidents of violence and they can commit any heinous crime to disturb the election process,” he said.
AAP behind blast: Harsimrat
Chandigarh: Squarely blaming AAP for the Tuesday night twin blasts at Maur, SAD’s Bathinda MP and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Wednesday said that the incident is result of unholy alliance of AAP with the disgruntled and desperate radicals of Punjab.
Harsimrat said that Kejriwal has nexus with militants to indulge in sacrilegious activities to inflame religious passions resulting in social tension and have conducted blasts to create fear psychosis in the electorate.
She asserted that for the last ten years, there had not been single violent incident in the state but the radical with the support of AAP were emboldened to successfully carry out their nefarious designs.
“It goes without saying that Kejriwal has been providing all logistic support to the fundamentalists to carry their activities with impunity,” she said adding that investigations would expose AAP without redemption.
She said that sacrilegious acts started with the emergence of AAP couple of years ago and now close to elections, AAP is resorting to create tensions in blind hope of reaping political dividends.
Unfortunately, the Congress record too has an equally dismal record and had often exploited social tensions to its advantage after creating such communal divides. Since Congress is decimated in entire country, it is keen to revive its fortunes in Punjab at any cost by using all fair and foul means.
Harsimrat cautioned voters that Congress has supported AAP government in Delhi in 2013 and is still keeping its backroom channels live though it is pitted against it. Both Congress and AAP are on the same page while using support of militants to further their political end.
Badal condemns blast in maur,Urges people to maintain peace
Chandigarh: Strongly condemning the blast at Maur Mandi in Bathinda, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday urged the people to exercise calm saying that those involved in it would be dealt with severely.
“Nobody would be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace and communal harmony in the state,” he said.
Badal appealed the people to maintain peace, amity and communal harmony at all cost as preached by our great gurus, seers and prophets. He said that all the culprits involved in this heinous crime would be dealt with severely as per the law.
Expressing anguish over the incident, Badal exhorted the people to exercise restraint in these circumstances by displaying ethos of religious tolerance, unity and brotherhood.
He cautioned the “anti-social elements” were bent upon to tarnish the congenial atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in the state. “The people would never allow these anti-Punjab elements to succeed in their nefarious designs,” he said.
“No one connected with this crime will be spared and we will ensure that strictest action is taken against the culprits involved in the incident,” he added.
Dera supports SAD-BJP
Chandigarh: The “Messenger of God” is in favour of the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab. In a major boost to the coalition, Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda on Wednesday “openly” made a game-changer announcement of supporting the SAD-BJP in February 4 polls.
Soon after the announcement, the Akali leaders from the region started attempts to further woo the Dera followers in their favour by making promises — organizing satsang, wholehearted support to Dera followers through thick and thin, cooperation in Dera’s social works, among other things.
The announcement, which has come as a major setback for the Congress, is significant as the Dera has the power to sway a section of voters in favour of the ruling combine. The decision, taken a day before, was made public a day after the latest surveys show Congress forming the next government in the state.
The Dera, headed by controversial Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, has its presence in the Malwa region that has the maximum 69 of the 117 assembly segments. On these, the Dera has a major influence on atleast 40 constituencies, especially among Dalit Sikhs.
During previous polls, Dera’s silence had divided votes between the two traditional players with the region giving a fractured mandate. But in 2007, it has openly declared its support to the Congress that helped the party wining Malwa.
One the reasons behind Congress party’s high score of 37 in Malwa during 2007 polls was Dera’s support. Congress, though, managed to do well in Malwa, it was routed in both Doaba and Majha that resulted it in its defeat.
At that time, Congress’s Harminder Singh Jassi, a close relative of Dera chief Ram Rahim, played a role of middleman in inking the pact between the two. With the same in mind, Congress has given party ticket to Jassi, who was denied during previous polls — but to no avail.
Things underwent change when the radical Sikhs attacked Dera followers after Ram Rahim imitated the Sikhs’ tenth Guru Gobind Singh. Staying away from protecting the Dera followers proved costly for the Congress, which was not in power then, during the 2009 parliamentary polls.
It is believed that the Dera had ensured that the Badal bahu Harsimrat Kaur Badal secure a win from the Bathinda seat, from where Capt Amarinder’s son Raninder Singh smacked a heavy defeat.
Most recently, in 2015, SAD engineered Akal Takht pardon to Dera chief for imitating their guru which sparked a major controversy. By pulling strings to absolve Ram Rahim in 2007 case, SAD managed to influence nearly 70 lakh followers of the Dera across the state.
The clemency came after the Dera supported BJP during Haryana assembly polls that helped the saffron party to make a record clean sweep. Realizing Dera’s importance, the political leaders from almost all parties are making a beeline to woo the Dera head in their favour. leaders like former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Cabinet Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, Raju Khanna, among others met the Dera chief.
‘Sadh Sangat decision’
Dera’s political wing attributed the decision to extend support to the SAD-BJP alliance in the Punjab Assembly polls to the sadh sangat (the public).
“Sadh Sangat (public) has decided to support the SAD-BJP alliance in Punjab, thus we have announced our support after taking feedback from them. We never impose our decision on our devotees,” said Dera’ political wing head Ram Singh Insan.
Before arriving at the decision, meetings at the block, district and state-level were held with the followers on January 19 in Salabatpura.
It is believed that Dera Sacha Sauda has about five crore supporters of which 50 lakh are in Punjab and Haryana. Nearly half of its members are reportedly eligible to exercise their voting rights this election.
Akali leaders woo Dera
Soon as the word of supporting SAD-BJP combine spread around, the Akali leaders on Wednesday wooed the dera followers by promising to organize a satsang (religious congregation) soon.
“Akali Dal, in association with Dera Sacha Sauda, will soon organize a satsang of Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Punjab,” said SAD candidate from Talwandi Sabo Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu.
Akali candidates from nine constituencies in Bathinda and Mansa districts — Sarup Chand Singla from Bathinda Urban, Janmeja Singh Sekhon from Maur, Harpreet Singh Kotbhai from Bhucho, Sikander Singh Maluka from Rampura Phull, Jagdeep Singh Nakai from Mansa, Nishan Singh from Budhlada, Dilraj Singh Bhunder from Sardulgarh and Amit Rattan from Bathinda Rural — organized a meeting of Dera’s political wing at Bathinda to thank for open support. “The decision of Dera’s support has saved Punjab from getting trapped into a big crisis and it would soon show positive results,” said Maluka while assuring “all support to Dera followers through thick and thin”. The Akalis also declared that they would provide all cooperation to the Dera in its social works.