Badals 'running with the hare and hunting with the hound': Khaira

Monday, 15/04/2013

http://punjabnewsline.com/news/Badals-are-_running-with-the-hare-and-hunting-with-the-hound__-Khaira.html

CHANDIGARH: Congress leader and former Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira today accused Shiromani Akali Dal of adopting double standards on the issue of clemency to Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar whose petition to commute death sentence to life imprisonment was rejected by the Supreme Court on Friday.

After the confirmation of death sentence by the Supreme Court to Prof. Davinder pal Singh Bhullar, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal leaders are now beating their chests and are issuing statements to save Bhullar, Khaira remarked.

"First, Punjab Chief Minister Badal and SAD President Sukhbir Badal should clearly spell out their stand on the issue and also the contradictory approaches they have been adopting so far. Hence, the demand of clemency to Prof. Bhullar by the SAD yesterday is nothing but a farce, shedding crocodile tears and extreme double standards in politics," he said.

A close perusal of Prof. Bhullar’s case and that of DGP Saini would expose threadbare the dichotomy of Badal, he pointed out.

"Without going into the merits of the case or commenting on the judgment of the apex court, which is binding on all, I ask both the Badals that they should explain that how would their pleas to save Prof. Bhullar would be effective now, after their government had termed him a “hardcore and an experienced criminal”. As we are aware, while defending Saini DGP in the Supreme Court in CRL MP NOS. 10955-57/2008 in the year 2009, SAD-BJP govt. had filed an affidavit terming Bhullar a hardcore terrorist as Para (ZD) states “Such hardcore and experienced criminals, who have a well organized international support base are likely to misuse such orders to attempt victimization of dedicated police officers, which is a matter of concern to the petitioner,” he stated.

Khaira added that the affidavit was in response to the CBI inquiry and subsequent FIR lodged against Saini for abduction and disappearance of Prof. Bhullar’s father Balwant Singh, his uncle Manjit Singh and a young engineer Balwant Singh Multani son of an IAS officer in the year 1991, in retaliation to the attack on Saini then SSP, Chandigarh.

"Instead of allowing a fair and impartial inquiry into the abduction and disappearance of Prof. Bhullar’s kin, the Badal government vehemently defended Saini known for eliminating Sikh youths in criminal propensities," the Cong leader pointed out.

He said the Badal government not only appointed Saini the DGP in 2012 after superseding five IPS officers senior to him but also went out of the way to defend Saini in the High Court recently, terming him a dedicated and meritorious officer.

"Needless to mention, using hard hitting adjectives terming Prof. Bhullar a terrorist weighed strongly against him in judicial scrutiny, leading to the death sentence. Will Badal explain how would he not be held responsible for the capital punishment to Prof. Bhullar?" he asked.

He continuted saying that similarly, "I castigate the SGPC President Makkar for terming the death sentence a judicial murder, does he have the courage to question the stance taken by Badal to defend Sh. Saini and accuse Prof. Bhullar? I urge the Jathedar Akal Takhat to summon Badal and seek an explanation for denying justice to the missing members of Prof. Bhullar’s family and eulogizing Saini, if he too has any courage."

Badal should also explain to the Sikhs the view point of the BJP, while supporting death penalty to Prof. Bhullar, is this alliance not marriage of convenience merely for votes?, he asked, adding that Badal also did a U-turn on the issue of passing a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha in 2011, seeking clemency for Prof. Bhullar on the dictates of the BJP.

"Therefore, I am amused and surprised how the pleas of SAD, SGPC President, Jathedar Akal Takhat and that of Badal have any impact, when the Badal govt. has taken such a stand against Prof. Bhullar in the Supreme Court? What I am unable to understand whether you as Badal and as CM Punjab, can take two different stands? Is a senior politician in Sh. Badal trying to befool the people of Punjab, Sikh community or the Supreme Court and the Govt. of India? Thus congress terms Badal’s duplicity nothing but like “running with the hare and hunting with the hound," Khaira remarked.