Taking a dig at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the Ordinance on convicted lawmakers, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday said that had he been at his place, he would have preferred to quit than face embarrassment.
“I would have preferred to resign rather than facing a major humiliation as confronted by the Prime Minister on the issue of the recent ordinance to reverse the Supreme Court ruling on convicted leaders,” he said, while talking to the media persons on the sidelines of a function organised by Sri Ram Navami Utsav Committee.
Badal said that if he was faced with the situation in which any of his party office bearer had belittled him on a decision taken by whole Cabinet, “I would have preferred to step down rather than face embarrassment”.
“By using derogatory language against the Ordinance, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has expressed no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Cabinet…It is imperative for the Cabinet to submit its resignation. It is the blatant insult of the office of the Prime Minister, which is very unfortunate,” he added.
Chief Minister said that he was highly concerned about the Cabinet authority being eroded and “even a fool could understand that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are privy to the passage of Ordinance in the Cabinet twice and now they could not feign their ignorance”.
Though the managers of Rahul Gandhi might have tried to enhance his image by indulging in such cheap tactics but this step has given as severe blow to both the Cabinet and the Prime Minister, added Badal.
On the issue of Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s letter to the State Governments regarding imprisonment of innocent Muslims in Jails, Badal said that there was hardly any need for this letter. “Every Government at the Centre or the State must be secular…and they must rise above their vested political interests and channelise their energy for the well being of people”.
“Recent twin attacks on Police and Army in Jammu region are direct challenge to country’s sovereignty. If the Government, that could not protect its armed forces and Police, what the common citizens could expect from it. Country needs a decisive and strong Prime Minister to give a stern message to such forces,” he added.
Describing State Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa’s daily outbursts on the performance of State Government as a sign of frustration, the CM said.