Giving a week’s ultimatum to the Congress-led Punjab Government to arrest killers of two Akali leaders — Baba Gurdeep Singh and Dalbir Singh Dhilwan, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday declared to launch an agitation in case the Government failed to ensure justice in the “political murder” cases.
The decision was taken during the party’s core committee meeting presided over by SAD president Sukhbir Badal.
The core committee said that the spate of political assassinations of Akali leaders by “gangsters with direct links to the Congress leaders and Ministers” was unprecedented. “The party is committed to breaking the gangster-minister nexus in Punjab and will take all necessary steps in this regard, be it going to the people or the courts,” it noted.
DISTRICT LEVEL DHARNAS TO DEMAND ROLLBACK OF POWER TARIFF HIKE
To ensure withdrawal of unjust and unprecedented power tariff hike in Punjab, the SAD core committee also announced to hold agitation across all districts.
They party said that the government had put an unbearable burden on the common man and made industries unsustainable.
Stating that the SAD would not allow the Congress Government to pass on its inefficiencies as well as management failures to the consumers, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal announced that the party would hold district level dharnas across the State to demand immediate withdrawal of the power hike.
The first dharna will be held at Sangrur on February 2 followed by dharnas in Bathinda, Ferozepur and Fazilka.
MEETING PM, HM TO COMMUTE RAJOANA’S SENTENCE, RELEASE
A delegation of SAD senior leaders would meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah to convey the sentiments of the Sikh community regarding the “continued incarceration” of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana — one of the main assassins of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Beant Singh.
The core committee decided that the delegation would impress upon the central leadership to commute Rajoana’s death sentence and urge that he be released from prison immediately.
Rajoana is currently undergoing death sentence at Patiala Central Jail, and the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has moved a plea seeking commutation.
DEMANDS REGISTERATION OF CASE AGAINST RANDHAWA
Taking note of the “sacrilegious” conduct of Punjab Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the SAD core committee condemned him for “ridiculing” the first Sikh master, Guru Nanak Dev and comparing him with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
“Such shameful conduct has hurt the religious sentiments of the entire Sikh community and a case under Section 295 – A should be registered against him immediately besides his immediate dismissal from the State Cabinet,” noted the core committee.
TWO-MP PANEL TO VISIT UP, MP TO ENSURE JUSTICE FOR SIKH VICTIMS
The SAD core committee has taken note of the recent instances of cases being registered against 55 Sikh devotees who were participating in a nagar kirtan at Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh and devastation of nine houses and 200 acres of land belonging to Sikh families in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.
Expressing grave concern at the developments, the core panel has appointed a two-member panel of MPs — Balwinder Singh Bhundur and Naresh Gujral — to look into both incidents and suggest remedies.
The MPs will visit both places and will also take up cases of the victims appropriately.
The core committee also decided to form a Committee which will include representatives from the Shiromani Committee, Delhi Committee and the Patna Committee to celebrate the 400th parkash purv of Guru Tegh Bahadur.
The Committee, including the Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, will decide on the events which will form part of the celebration besides coordinating with the Centre in order to celebrate the epoch making event nationally.