AMRITSAR: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today condemned the parole given to convicted rapist Gurmeet Ram Raheem, saying repeated paroles were being given to Ram Raheem but justice was not being done with Bandi Singhs who were languishing in jails even after completion of their sentences.
Talking to newsmen here, the SAD President said “the need of the hour is to apply a healing touch to anguished Sikh hearts.Instead of doing this the governments are bending over backwards to please a rape and murder convict”. He said this had only exposed the anti - Sikh intent of governments of the day.
The SAD president inducted BJP state Scheduled Caste wing vice president Rakesh Kumar Rinku along with hundreds of his supporters into the SAD on the occasion. He said Rinku’s induction into the SAD had boosted the party in the Majha region and assured the leader due responsibility in the party.
Answering a query, Mr Sukhbir Badal said instead of making meaningless statements chief minister Bhagwant Mann should first try to run the Meritorious Schools established by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal which even AAP Convenor Arvind Kejriwal had praised efficiently. “One cannot hope that the AAP government will open any Meritorious Schools. It is interested in cheap publicity only. See how it befooled Punjabis by turning Sewa Kendras established by the erstwhile SAD government into Mohalla Clinics. The move has not helped people as the Clinics are sans doctors and medicines”.
Reacting to the farzi Prime Minister remark made against Dr Manmohan Singh by Punjab leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, the SAD president said “Mr Bajwa should think before speaking. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is respected worldwide for his contributions to nation building. I am shocked that Rahul Gandhi, who was present on the occasion, did not object and ask Bajwa to withdraw his statement. It is equally surprising that the Congress party has also not proceeded against Bajwa which indicates it is complicit in destroying Dr Manmohan Singh’s legacy”.
Senior leaders Anil Joshi, Gulzar Singh Ranike and Gurpartap Singh Tikka were also present on the occasion. Later, Mr Badal visited the family of former MLA S. Malkit Singh AR to express his condolences with the bereaved family.