living up to its panthic image, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday promised to set up a Commission under the Supreme Court judge to probe conspiracy behind 1984 massacre, besides establishing the fast track courts to try ’84 riot cases ending across a clear message that “no one involved in riots will be spared”. The party, in its election manifesto for 2014 general polls released on Monday, also promised to take up the issue of turban and Sikh identity with the foreign countries.
Other than that, the Akali Dal also promised all for which it had all along been criticising the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre — special industrial package for the state, comprehensive crop insurance, MSP at 50 per cent profit, transferring Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab, federal structure with greater political and fiscal autonomy to States, 50 per cent share in central taxes to States, among other things.
Presenting the old wine in the new bottle, the “sensitive” issues concerning Punjab “as a State” — including justice to 1984 riot victims, transfer of Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas, sharing of river water, among others — are still hanging around from one election manifesto to another.
With a manifesto being a cut-copy-paste document of the previous ones, the party gave priority to the “peace and communal harmony”, other than clean, transparent, responsive and accountable administration, and focus on fast, sustainable and inclusive round development. Releasing the manifesto, party president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal said that a commission of inquiry will be set up under a Supreme Court judge to “inquire into the entire political conspiracy behind the 1984 massacre and expose and punish the real conspirators”.
He said: “The scope of the Commission will also cover the entire sequence of events to bring to book those who shielded the guilty after the conspiracy of mass murders had been meticulously executed. No one will be spared.”