Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) general secretary and party's candidate for Lok Sabha from Khadoor Sahib constituency, Harminder Singh Gill, today said the 1984 Anti-Sikh Riots is no issue in parliamentary elections in Punjab.
He said it is the Akalis who rake up the issues during the elections but every Sikh feel that this is no issue today.
"Our President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh has already expressed the regret over the 84 anti-Sikh riots. This is no issue today but the Akalis raise it for the political gains which is unfortunate," said Gill while talking to ANI here today.
A former active member of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), which was known for the radical views and had sided with Sikh militant leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderwale.
Gill, however, said that it was his past and he never had held the pro-terrorism views.
"I had been member of AISSF but I am not a militant or I never had supported terrorism. I have contested elections for the Vidhan Sabha earlier and members from all religions including Hindus, Christians and Sikhs have voted for me and had git more than 64000 votes," said Gill.
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In Akalis he said they were part of the NDA government in Centre for more than five years but no respite was given to the 84 anti-Sikh riots victims but their UPA government had given proper compensation to the victims.
Gill claimed that Congress has spent Rs.715 crore for rehabilitation for the 1984 Sikh roits victims where as NDA with whom Shiromani Akali Dal is associates has done nothing when they were in power . He futher alleged that Parkash Singh Badal tough promised to grant help to Detaines in Jodhpur jails but nothing has been given to them by SAD. He claimed that this was Congress who has given one lac each to these detaines.