The top leadership of Shiromani Akali Dal, led by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Saturday performed “Joda Sewa” service (cleaning of shoes of devotees) as part of a Sikh ritual after the Ardas at Akal Takht for seeking forgiveness for the past mistakes.
The leaders, who reached Amritsar on Saturday to seek apology from the highest Sikh temporal seat for mistakes committed knowingly and unknowingly during their 10 years tenure in Punjab, also performed the service of cleaning utensils at Golden Temple.
An Akhand Path (three-day long uninterrupted reciting of Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji) also commenced at Golden Temple on behalf of the party and many SAD leaders , including members of the core committee of the party, were present on the occasion.
The decision to seek forgiveness was taken by the party's core committee meeting held on Thursday in the backdrop of the party facing severe criticism over several incidents pertaining to sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and police firing incidents in 2015 that had taken place during SAD-BJP regime.
The Badal family is in the eye of strorm following their indictment by the Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission which was formed to investigate over 100 cases of sacrilege of holy Guru Granth Sahib and police firing on the Sikhs who were protesting against inaction in sacrilege cases. Two Sikh youth were killed in police firing at Bargari and several got injured in police action at Kotkapura in 2015. The commission had held Parkash Singh Badal responsible for the sacrilege and firing incidents.
Akali Dal was also in the eye of storm over the issue of granting pardon to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a 2007 blasphemy case and which (pardon) was later withdrawn by the Akal Takht. Even Taksali (old guard) leaders including Ranjit Singh Brhampura, Rattan Singh Ajnala and Sewa Singh Sekhwan, who had been expelled from the primary membership of Akali Dal, had blamed the party's leadership for causing “irreparable damage” to the party.
CAPT AMARINDER DUBS BADALS’ APOLOGY AS POLITICAL THEATRICS
Soon after the apology, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh ridiculed the SAD leadership for indulging in political theatrics in the name of religion with their farcical display of regret over the misdeeds committed during their 10-year misrule.
In a statement, the Chief Minister lambasted the Badal clan and other party leaders & MLAs for misusing religion to garner public support, which they had completely lost over the past two years.
He expressed shock over the failure of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal to admit their mistakes even now, when they had approached the Akal Takht for forgiveness. The Badals know very well what were the mistakes they had committed during their tenure and yet had chosen to call their misdeeds Rsany inadvertent errors’, pointed out Capt Amarinder Singh, flaying the Akali leadership for once again taking refuge in religion to further their political interests.
It was obvious that the Badals had their eyes on the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections and the apology drama had been enacted for that purpose, said the Chief Minister. Had they been sincere in their apology, they would not have chosen to give their misdeeds the garb of Rsinadvertent errors’ but would have had the decently and courage to admit to their crimes of omission and commission, he added.
He cited the massive criticism faced by the Badals from their own senior party leaders, who had been expelled from the Akali primary leadership recently. With their party split wide open, and faced with total alienation from the disillusioned people of Punjab, the Badals were now resorting, once again, to political gimmickry in a desperate bid to regain some of the lost political ground in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, that are less than six months away, the Chief Minister added.
Capt Amarinder challenged the Badals to come out openly to acknowledge their mistakes to prove their sincerity to the people, if they really wanted to be forgiven for their misdeeds.
BADAL FAMILY'S BIGGEST POLITICAL DRAMA, SAYS AAP
Aam Aadmi Party MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann on Saturday lashed out at Badals for again trying to befool people of state by creating drama of seeking apology for their past mistakes. He called the move of Badals to visit Sri Darbar Sahib and perform seva as their biggest ever political drama.
In a statement, Mann said that the almighy bestow blessings on those who commit mistakes unknowingly but Badals have destroyed the state knowingly by looting the wealth of Punjab. He said anticipating the end of their political career, they are trying to again befool the people of state by using religious tools.
Asking Badals to explain to people of state about their mistakes for that they are seeking apology, Mann said Badals have now accepted that they are responsible for desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, suicide of farmers and grabbing the control over resources of state. He said Badal duo are shrewd politicians and have always used religion to divert the attention of people from core issues.
Mann said that Badals have now been exposed in the court of people and can not befool the people with their cheap tactics. He said that drama of Badals can not bring back the Sikh yougsters killed by police at Bargari, farmers committed suicide and those died with the drugs during Akali rule.