The leaders of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the main Opposition, the Congress party, have engaged in the fiery war of words over the issue of Congress leaders’ presence in the November 10 “Sarbat Khalsa” programme. While the SAD has alleged Congress’ backing to the event, the Congress leaders have plainly refuted the allegations.
SAD president and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on Friday minced no words to allege that the Sarbat Khalsa congregation on November 10 was “purely a political gathering backed by the Punjab Congress”. Reacting, the State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa asked him to either prove his claims or quit politics.
Sukhbir alleged that Congress played a “big role” in mobilising people for ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ and accused it and “some foreign forces” of conspiring to disturb peace in the State. He said that all those who were trying to disturb peace in Punjab would be arrested wherever they might be, including in other countries.
“Congress played a big role in mobilising people for ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ (congregation of Sikhs),” said said Sukhbir while talking to the mediapersons after paying obeisance at Golden Temple along with his wife and Union Food Processing Industries Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
He alleged that the people who organised ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ wanted to take back Punjab to the dark days once again.
Sikh hardliners had convened ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ on the outskirts of Amritsar on November 10 and announced removal of top Sikh priests, including the Akal Takht chief.
“Some party (Congress) leaders like Ramanjit Singh Sikki, MlA and its Kisan wing chairman Inderjit Singh Zira had addressed the conclave and this was evidence enough,” he said.
He said that those who opposed Akal Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on Diwali were not Sikhs but their enemies.
Reacting strongly to the appointment of Jagtar Singh Hawara as the Akal Takht jathedar at the November 10 ‘Sarbat Khalsa’, he said: “What message can such a person deliver to the people who himself was a murder accused.”
Sukhbir said that Sarbat Khalsa has a rich religious and historic background with maryada (a code of conduct).
“Sarbat Khalsa could not be organised in fields. The congregation held by extremist forces was aimed at dividing society as per the aim of the Congress,” he said.
He also questioned as to why the organisers did not pass any resolution against the Congress Party for Sikh genocide, brutal killings of thousands of Sikhs in 1984 anti-Sikh riots besides not seeking arrest of perpetrators of 1984 riots.
BAJWA CHAllENGES SUKHBIR TO PROVE CONGRESS HAND OR QUIT POlITICS
Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday challenged the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal to prove Congress’ involvement in November 10 Sarbat Khalsa congregation or quit politics.
“Deputy Chief Minister is not expected to level false and sweeping allegations but should instead come out with proof demonstrating Congress involvement,” he said.
Bajwa said: “Earlier, you had to bite the dust when you had announced at a news conference that the police had cracked the case of sacrilege with the arrest of the two brothers and went on to allege foreign involvement to cover up for your own incompetency. However, both the brothers were subsequently released for lack of evidence and your foreign hand theory was debunked.”
“You are again playing the same trick to divert public attention from your misgovernance especially when it is you and your family that is responsible for the rapidly deteriorating state of affairs in Punjab,” he added.
Bajwa reminded Sukhbir that senior Congress leaders have laid their lives to restore peace and normalcy in the state at a time when Akali Dal leaders were frightened to even leave the confines of their homes.
He challenged Sukhbir to visit the villages and engage with the public in the same manner in which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had undertaken and only then he will you realize the gravity of situation.
SAD ASKS BAJWA TO QUIT POlITICS AS A FAIlED lEADER INSTEAD
Hitting back at Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa for challenging to prove Congress’ involvement in so-called ‘Sarbat Khalsa’, the SAD on Friday said that presence of Congress leaders on the stage and in gathering is ample proof of Congress party’s active involvement in this whole exercise. Reacting to Bajwa’s statement, SAD secretary and spokesperson and Punjab Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said that it was surprising to see Bajwa’s statement as media has carried big stories on justification of presence of Congress MlA Ramanjit Singh Sikki in the said function.
Apart from Sikki, the Congress party’s Kisan Cell chief Inderjit Singh Zira and workers of the Congress party were also part of the congregation. He questioned Bajwa if he was unaware of presence of these leadersIJ
“It is also surprising that the Congress’ official spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira is issuing statement on daily basis in support of this activity and he has also questioned arrest of the leaders involved in that ‘Sarbat Khalsa.’ What else proof does the Congress chief requiresIJ” he asked.
Commenting on the foreign links of the ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ the SAD leader said that this so-called ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ was telecast live on some web channels which were hired
by the people residing abroad and whatever is going on in social media is not hidden to anybody.
“Instead of asking of resignation of SAD leader, Bajwa should gracefully quit the presidentship accepting his own failures,” said Cheema.
AMARINDER REJECTS SAD CHARGES
Rejecting SAD’s allegations against Congress party that it was politicising the current situation, Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday said: “Ours is a responsible political party which reaches out to people with healing touch and not with bullets to kill them in wanton rage.”
Capt Amarinder questioned Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s prolonged silence when state was passing through such a critical phase. “I am surprised as why Badal has chosen to keep quiet when the state is confronted with such a serious situation”, he said, while adding, “Badal was yet again running away from his responsibility”.
Amarinder also ridiculed the SAD charges that he was “vilifying” Badal. “Do you really think that I need to vilify who is uniformly hated by every Punjabi across the globe”, he asked, while adding, “even if I wish to, I really don’t need to”.
Advising introspection to the SAD leadership, the former Chief Minister asked them to use their current phase of “isolation and hibernation” to think and ponder as why they have reached this situation where they have to run for the cover to save their lives.
SAD ASKS BAJWA TO ACT AGAINST IT’S lEADERS
SAD general secretary Maheshinder Singh Grewal on Friday said that instead of asking SAD president Sukhbir Badal to prove Congress’ involvement, Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa should simply take a few minutes off and see the “proof” in the social media.
“The social media is flooded with conversations between Congress leaders including Harminder Gill and lally Majithia. Both leaders, besides advising the extremists on what resolutions to adopt in their meeting, also assured them that they would send their supporters in full strength,” he said.
Grewal said that a Congress leader had also admitted that the voices in the tapes were of Congress leaders only. He also challenged Bajwa to deny the authenticity of the recordings.
“Bajwa seemed to be either living in a fool’s paradise or is deliberately playing into the hands of anti-national forces by blatantly denying the Congress hand in organising and supporting the so-called Sarbat Khalsa on November 10,” he said.
BJP SENSES DEEP ROOTED CONTROVERSY IN NAMING HAWARA AS AKAl TAKHT JATHEDAR IN CONG lEADERS’ PRESENCE
The BJP on Friday condemned the Congress for lending out support to Sarbat Khalsa held at Chabba village on November 10 where Khalistan slogans were raised and a convict in the assassination case of former Chief Minister Beant Singh was appointed as jathedar (head priest) of Akal Takht — Sikhs’ highest temporal seat.
“The presence of Congress MlA Ramanjit Singh Sikki and former MlA and Congress leader Inderjit Singh Zira with thousands of Congressmen hints at a deep-rooted conspiracy to destabilise the state and the country,” said BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh.
Questioning Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s silence over the participation of Congressmen in Sarbat Khalsa, Chugh said that the Congress was playing with fire by supporting Khalistani elements to recover its lost political base.
“It seems to be a recap of 1980s when infighting between Giani Zail Singh and Darbara Singh had resulted into a dangerous situation as the two groups used anti-national elements for their own vested interests and score over each other. Punjab and the Punjabis had to pay a heavy price then but it is unfortunate that the Congress is once again trying to replicate the same to fulfil their ulterior political motives,” he said.
By allowing its leaders to participate in a congregation hosted by radicals and separatist forces, Congress has once again proved that it has not learnt a lesson from its past mistakes, Chugh said.
Asking Sonia Gandhi and Rahul to come clear on the issue, Chigh said that the Gandhis need to tell the people of the country whether they support what was resolved at Sarbat Khalsa with the participation and support of their own leaders and workers.
He warned that if the Congress chose to remain silent on the crucial issue which could have dangerous proportions, the peace loving people of the state would give a befitting reply to the Gandhis and the Congress, whenever they get an opportunity to do so.