AMRITSAR: Former union minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal today said chief minister Bhagwant Mann had reminded the Sikh community of the heinous attack on Sri Harmandar Sahib by Indira Gandhi by ordering an attack on gurbani reciting Sangat at gurdwara Akal Bunga Sahib in Sultanpur Lodhi on November 23.
Talking to media persons here today after paying obeisance at Sachkhand Sri Harmandar Sahib, the Bathinda MP said “the entire Sikh community is pained as to why a chief minister of Punjab ordered armed police to enter the Akal Bunga gurdwara with assault rifles and indulge in wanton firing when the Sangat was reciting gurbani on the eve of Parkash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji. Mr Bhagwant Mann is answerable as to why he resorted to this dastardly action when there was no breach of peace nor any immediate provocation to indulge in such a military style operation”.
Mrs Harsimrat Badal said instead of admitting his fault and resigning immediately, the chief minister had launched a cover up operation by forming a SIT which was led by the very officer who had executed Mr Bhagwant Mann’s command. “We reject this SIT and demand a CBI probe into the entire incident besides registration of a case under section 302 (murder) and section 295-A (hurting religious sentiments) against the chief minister. This is the only way forward in this case as Mr Bhagwant Mann is on record to having asserted that only the chief minister or the home minister can give on order of firing to the State police”.
Mrs Badal said the SAD would go to the people on this issue as well as other burning issues of Punjab including the plight of the farmers and poor sections of society, denial of social welfare benefits to Punjabis, patronage given to the drug and illegal sand mining mafia by AAP ministers and legislators and failure to control the law and order situation as well exit of industry from the State”. She said all these issues as well as the looming unemployment and discrimination against the youth and government employees would be taken by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal who would lead the party’s Padyatra across the State from January 15. “The SAD’s efforts are to empathise with those suffering the brunt of AAP rule and make a blue print to ameliorate their lot by ensuring a resounding defeat to this anti-Punjab party in the 2024 parliamentary elections”.
Answering a media query, Mrs Badal said it was condemnable that chief minister Bhagwant Mann had capitulated before the centre and was even implementing the central government’s agenda to the detriment of Punjab and Punjabis. “Mr Bhagwant Mann has consistently taken an anti - Punjab stance on core issues of the State and is responsible for weakening Punjab’s right over Chandigarh as well as compromising the State’s right over its river waters. It is even more condemnable that instead of standing up for Punjab he is speaking Arvind Kejriwal’s language and is protesting the action taken by central agencies against corrupt AAP leaders”. The Bathinda MP said the chief minister should learn from the example of Mr Parkash Singh Badal who had always stood up to protect the interests of the State.