Amarinder, Sukhbir locked in war of words
Sunday, 23/12/2018
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CHANDIGARH: The war of words over conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case continues.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday asked chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh to convene a special sitting of the state assembly to pass a resolution demanding withdrawal of Bharat Ratna conferred on former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In a statement, Sukhbir said Amarinder should clarify whether the Congress would respect the sentiments of Punjabis and bring a resolution demanding withdrawal of the title conferred on Rajiv.
“This is of utmost importance as it will show how serious the Punjab Congress is in sending across a message that anyone who propagates and justifies mass murder, as Rajiv did, does not deserve the country’s highest honour. The SAD will not only support this resolution but also appeals that it be passed unanimously to send out a clear message that crimes against humanity have no place in civil society,” Sukhbir said, adding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) too should tell Punjabis why it had taken an about turn on passing a resolution against Rajiv under “pressure” from the Congress.
Amarinder hit back at Sukhbir for blaming the Gandhis and claiming he (Amarinder) was defending them to save his chair. “The Akali president had packed his bags and gone to the US for studies when the violence erupted. The Gandhis were not even remotely connected with the riots. It shows Sukhbir’s desperation to get back into the electoral game ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to get his virtually defunct party back into public limelight,” the CM said in a statement.
He said the Congress functions democratically and he did not need to indulge in sycophancy to save his chair. He added that his defence of the Gandhi family was out of his personal knowledge, which he had gathered from visiting the various refugee camps in the wake of the riots.
“While Rajiv Gandhi was out electioneering in West Bengal, Rahul was just a school-going child then. There were in fact several RSS/BJP workers named in the FIR, to whom Sukhbir had never eluded, clearly suggesting that his concern for the pain suffered by the Sikh community during the riots was mere hogwash,” Amarinder said.
