Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday sent a copy of Adolf Hitler's autobiography 'Mein Kampf' to SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, advising him to read the book to understand the "dangerous implications" of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief in turn said the Punjab chief minister had chosen to learn his history lessons from 'Mein Kampf' instead of dozens of books written by Sikhs recounting state sponsored attack on the Golden Temple and genocide of the Sikh community in 1984.
Amarinder Singh, in a statement here, said given the current attempts by the Centre to "replicate Hitler's agenda" in India, it was important for the SAD leaders to read the former German Chancellor's autobiography before coming out with "irrational reactions" on the CAA.
The recent statements of various Akali leaders, including Badal, "exposed their ignorance" on the sensitive issue, said Amarinder Singh, urging the SAD chief to read the book and decide "whether it's country first or political expediency".
"Supporting the bill in both houses of Parliament and in the Vidhan Sabha and opposing it on other platforms is unbecoming of a political leader," the chief minister said in a letter sent to Badal along with the book.
In the letter, Amarinder Singh recalled that during the last Vidhan Sabha session, he had promised to send the SAD copies of 'Mein Kampf', which in English translates to 'my struggles.'