Congress to take up sacrilege, Faridkot police firing deaths with President
Friday, 06/11/2015
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BATHINDA/FARIDKOT: The Congress will raise the issue of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib and killing of two men in police firing with President Pranab Mukherjee and demand a fair probe into the incident.
Announcing this, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, while talking to the media at Circuit House in Bathinda on Thursday said the families of the victims had demanded justice and told him that they could not get justice in Punjab, so the party would go to the President.
Rahul also praised the people of Punjab for maintaining peace and harmony under adverse circumstances. He said those responsible for the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib be arrested and action taken against them. Former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh told the media that there is no clarity on the CBI inquiry ordered by the Punjab government and it didn’t include the inquiry into the opening of fire on protesters resulting in killing of two men.
He said the Congress would demand an inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the incident and would seek to fix responsibility of police officials who opened and ordered firing.
RAHUL MAKES CAPT, BAJWA WALK THE TALK
The faction-ridden Punjab Congress finally put up a united show as Rahul Gandhi visited the families of the two men killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan village in Faridkot on October 14.
Accompanied by Amarinder and state party president Partap Singh Bajwa, Rahul trekked nearly 8 kilometres to cover the distance between the villages — Sarawan and Niamiwala — in what the Congress later tweeted as the “march for peace and harmony” in Punjab.
While Amarinder sat intermittently in his SUV between the stops at villages, Bajwa walked with Rahul all the way.
Addressing the gatherings at Behbal Kalan and Gurusar villages, Rahul accepted that the Congress needed to stand united for winning Punjab. The sentiment was later echoed by both Amarinder and Bajwa, who said they were ready to do everything for the party and people of the state.
‘PUNJAB IN CRISIS’
Rahul criticised the state government for repeated incidents of sacrilege which, he said, had hurt the sentiments of Sikhs. “Punjab is passing through a difficult phase. The farmers are suffering, drug addiction is on the rise and its youth have no future.
Earlier, when I had said that Punjab’s youth is addicted to drugs, I was criticised. The people of Punjab, who ushered in the Green Revolution, are now settling in other countries. Even the father of the deceased who was living in Kenya said Kenya was much better than Punjab,” Rahul said addressing the gathering at Gurusar and later Behbal Kalan. Rahul was accompanied by general secretary incharge of Punjab, Shakeel Ahmad, former MPs Jagmeet Brar and Vijay Inder Singla besides Indian Youth Congress president Raja Warring.
TO PAY OBEISANCE AT TAKHT DAMDAMA SAHIB
Rahul will pay obeisance at Takht Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, at 7 am on Friday. He will visit Bhukianwali village at 8 am to meet the families of the farmers who recently committed suicide. Rahul will then march on foot to Mallwala village and interact with villagers before proceeding to Manvala village.
