'Apology won't wash your sins', Amarinder tells CM Badal

Congress leader Amarinder Singh today lashed out at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for "cunningly pleading meekness by trying to offer apology in an apparent bid to cover up all his failures".
"No apology can wash yours sins," he told Badal, saying he was yet again allegedly trying to deflect public attention by his "characteristic theatrical histrionics".
The Congress Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha also rapped Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for his "malicious campaign" against the Congress.
"While on the one hand his father (Badal Sr) was claiming to apologise, Sukhbir was trying to stoke the fires by his malicious and provocative statements against the Congress," he observed.

The former Chief Minister asked Badal "as for what sins he wanted to apologise as the list is too long."
Amarinder said that "if you think that by tendering a verbal apology, without actually meaning it, you will get away with everything you are badly mistaken."

The sitting MP from Amritsar told the Chief Minister that the people are not bothered about his "theatrics as they want concrete action".
"Or is this an admission on your part of your failures which you have realised and now and feel like tendering an apology to the people?" he said in a statement.

The Congress leader further asked "what purpose will the apology serve to the families - whose innocent boys were killed by the police, to the devout Sikhs whose sentiments have been deeply hurt over the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib, to the innocent youth falsely framed and badly tortured in police custody....
"...To the families of farmers who committed suicide, or to those whose crops failed or industrial units have been shut down, or the tens of thousands of unemployed youth in the state whom your (Punjab) police lashes with lathis every now and then," he said in the statement.

Notably, Chief Minister Badal has cautioned the people of the state against "conspiracies" to disturb the hard-earned peace in Punjab and also warned against "attempts to push Punjab back towards dark days of violence and bloodshed".
While addressing a gathering in Ludhiana district on the 100th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha yesterday, Chief Minister Badal had urged the people of the state to desist from the nefarious designs of the divisive forces which are trying to create a wedge by "exploiting religious sentiments".
Meanwhile, Amarinder also asked Deputy Chief Minister
Sukhbir Singh Badal to explain the "total failure of law and order in the state".

"How long can you survive by accusing the Congress of supporting the 'Sarbat Khalsa' (congregation of Sikhs)?" he asked, while pointing out that the congregation was held on November 10, while the state is in "turmoil for a long period now."
"Before accusing Congress of sending people there, let me you tell us what action your department took when Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from a Gurdwara in Bargadi (Faridkot) in the month of June?", Amarinder Singh asked, while telling Sukhbir to better get serious about his own job than blaming others for his own alleged failures.
Notably, Sukhbir Singh Badal has accused the Congress and some foreign forces of conspiring to disturb peace and amity in the state.

Amarinder also took a dig at the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) President Simranjit Singh Mann for his reported claim that the 'Sarbat Khalsa' was a gathering for "Khalistan".
"Mann is still living in a fools' paradise," Amarinder said, while claiming that the people there had gathered in anger and outrage against the Badal government.
He said that by saying so, Mann was trying to "help Badal who is also desperately trying to deflect public attention from his failures".
Amarinder "did not rule out a subtle understanding between Mann and Badal".
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Meanwhile, Punjab Congress Legislature Party chief and leader of opposition Charanjit Singh Channi today urged Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, to direct registering of an FIR against Akali Dal MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha for his alleged "caste slur" against Congress leader Tarlochan Singh Soondh.

"The matter calls for serious action. As the 'caste slur' was hurled at Soondh on the floor of the House, the Speaker must get the FIR registered against Valtoha who should be arrested immediately as per legal provisions," Channi said in a statement.
He accused Valtoha of denigrating the entire Dalit community by abusing them and this could not be tolerated.
The CLP leader also slammed the Akalis for being "anti-Dalit", alleging that two Dalit women had recently protested against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for "discriminatory" treatment during sangat darshan programme in his own Lambi constituency.