Noting that he was "shocked and deeply hurt" by recent incidents of sacrilege, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the SAD-BJP government was ready to make any sacrifice for ensuring peace, harmony and brotherhood in Punjab.
"I am ready to make any sacrifice...Each drop of my blood for peace, amity and brotherhood in the state," Badal said addressing the third 'Sadhbhavna Rally' here.
"Punjabis have given a lot to the Badal family and if people want our blood for peace we are ready to do so," he said.
Reacting to the Congress' charge that Akalis had gone into hiding when incidents of sacrileges were being reported, Badal said, "I was shocked by the developments... I was deeply hurt and did not have the courage to come out of house."
Peace and communal harmony will be maintained in the state at any cost, he said.
Congress wants to bring back the "dark days of 1984" in Punjab and disturb peace in the state for "political benefit".
He asked his party cadres to spread the massage that Congress wants to bring back terrorism in Punjab while the SAD-BJP combine is committed to maintaining peace and communal harmony.
"We (SAD-BJP) don't want those dark days back in Punjab a any cost," he said.
Talking about holding 'Sadhbhavna Rallies', he said the idea behind these is to ensure peace, amity and brotherhood.
"Due to certain developments in the past two months there was feeling of dejection and insecurity among the people... We want this to end by holding Sadhbhavna Rallies," he said.
He alleged that the Congress party was in league with the anti-national Khalistani forces and that the SAD-BJP has launched awareness drive against such forces.
Over the issue of 'Khalistan' (separate Sikh homeland) demand raised at 'Sarbat Khalsa' (congregation of Sikhs) in Amritsar on November 10, he said it would damage Sikhs as the community is spread all over the globe.
Asserting that he was prepared to go anywhere sans
security cover, Badal said battle lines have been drawn between those who want to put Punjab on fire and those who want to maintain peace.
Earlier addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal termed Congress as "anti-national" party.
"Congress is an anti-national party and wants to divide the country," he said.
He also termed the Gandhi family as "anti-Sikh".
"Indira Gandhi (the then Prime Minister) sent tanks to Golden Temple. Rajiv Gandhi (the then Prime Minister) was responsible for massacre of Sikhs. Now Congress wants to put Punjab aflame again," he said.
He said Akali Dal was not the personal property of Parkash Singh Badal or Sukhbir Singh Badal.
On the drug menace, he said it comes from Afghanistan and Pakistan and "we are fighting the nation's fight against drugs".
He said Parkash Singh Badal has devoted his entire life to amity and harmony and "entire development of Punjab has taken place under him".
Attacking Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir said he is honoured by pro-Khalistan elements in Canada and "we are hooted by the same people there".
He termed Amarinder as that "biggest liar" and PPCC chief of "anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh" party.
He also rebutted opposition's charges of financial bankruptcy.
He said that Congress had defamed Punjabis by alleging that the youths of the state are involved in consuming drugs.
Among others, those present on the occasion included BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh and state BJP chief Kamal Sharma.
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Sukhbir alleged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was "shedding crocodile tears" over the sacrilege incidents.
He said the same Gandhi, who is now showing his "so-called concern" for the people of the state, was in the forefront of a Congress-hatched conspiracy to brand the entire Punjabi youth as drug addicts whereas the truth was that Punjab was fighting the nation's battle against drugs.
He that the gathering (religious congregation Dal Khalsa) on November 10 also had the tacit approval and blessings of the Gandhi family on whose command the Punjab Congress allowed its leaders to participate in the meet where "anti-national" resolutions were passed.
In his address, Chugh said that the Congress leadership has sadly mistaken that Amarinder Singh as new PPCC Chief would rejuvenate the sagging Congress, which was a badly divided house as on today and there was hardly any chance of its revival in near future too.
The "so-called Aam Aadmi Party" is no more an "aam party" but a "khaas (special) party", which has no locus standi at all in the state as there was fierce infighting amongst its leadership in Punjab, Chugh said.
