)
Terming the Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance “unholy and opportunistic”, Congress candidate from Amritsar, Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asked his BJP rival Arun Jaitley to explain what he meant by "social alliance" between the two.
On Jaitley's reported remark that the Akali-BJP alliance went beyond politics, Amarinder said the BJP leader had tried to indicate that while the Akalis represent the Sikh community, BJP exclusively represents the Hindus.
The former Punjab chief minister said Jaitley had rather admit that "it was an alliance between two communal parties claiming to be sole representatives of two different communities".
"There cannot be a franker admission by Jaitley that the two parties represent sectarian agenda," he said.
Amarinder also took an aim at BJP's election manifesto, which, he said, had reasons for "contradictions" between the two parties, as "BJP had listed several things quite contrary to the Akalis' ideology". "These rather strike at the foundation of the Akali ideology and yet, they (Akalis) have to suffer the indignity of supporting and praising it," he said.
The Congress leader on Monday posed questions to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal of the SAD on his stand on the Uniform Civil Code, abrogation of the Article 370 and construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, as mentioned in the manifesto. Badal was finding it difficult to explain his position vis-a-vis BJP manifesto, he said. "I have asked both Badal and Jaitley to explain their position and both are trying to avoid these questions which they cannot avoid for long as their double standards will be exposed," he said.
