Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today alleged here that Congress has given "key roles" to 1984 riots accused Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler in the upcoming Delhi polls, a charge rubbished by the Congress as "rumours".
"It is ironical that instead of punishing these leaders for the crime Congress is honoring them for their misdeeds," Badal said.
"By giving key postings to Sajjan and Tytler the Congress party has rubbed salt into the wounds of the Sikhs, for which the entire community will teach a befitting lesson to the party in the coming Delhi polls," the chief minister said.
Badal said,"this has vindicated the stand of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that Congress is shielding the perpetrators of 1984 carnage."
Congress leader Manu Singhvi dismissed as "absolutely rubbish" speculation that the party has constituted a committee for Delhi polls in which the two controversial leaders, Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, have been accommodated.
"These kind of rumours are absolutely rubbish. There is no committee, no meeting. It is time media should also exercise restraint and get their information checked from the most authentic of sources in the party," he said.
AICC General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed, who is in-charge of party affairs in Delhi, also spoke in similar vein. He said that the party would constitute the relevant committees only after the announcement of the poll schedule.
Speaking on the sidelines after inaugurating girls hostel, Badal said that the SAD-BJP alliance will contest these elections together. He said that the alliance would register spectacular win in these elections by routing the other parties.
The Chief Minister said that the SAD has extended unconditional support to the BJP both at the national and state level. Badal said that the alliance between both the parties was "everlasting".
He said that both the alliance partners would soon chalk out the strategy regarding the upcoming civic bodies' polls in Punjab, besides finalising the seat sharing agreement amicably.Terming the problems of drugs in Punjab as a "multi-dimensional", the Chief Minister said that the Union government must take effective steps to check the cross border peddling of drugs besides taking steps to the check the supply of drugs like poppy husk "which were being sold openly in neighbouring state".
Batting for more powers to the state, the Chief Minister said that it was the high time that true federal structure as enshrined in our Constitution must be implemented in the country.He said that the states must be given more financial powers so as to ensure their all-round development. Badal also advocated the need for dismantling the Union Agriculture Ministry and strengthening the Agriculture departments in the states, so as to benefit the farmers.