Rise in sacrilege incidents show polarisation in Punjab: Capt

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today hit out at the SAD-BJP government over a recent increase in incidents of religious sacrilege, saying the cases underlined lawlessness and communal polarisation in the state.

Addressing a gathering at the annual Jor Mela here, he condemned the incidents, saying religious attacks would not tolerated in Punjab and those responsible must be punished.

Capt Amarinder said there has been an increase in such incidents and cited the police firing in Bargari in which two youth were killed in police firing during a protest against a sacrilege incident in October.

"These (cases) underlined the state of lawlessness and communal polarisation into which Punjab had been plunged during the Badal regime," he said questioning the governance of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, ruling the state since 2007.
 

He urged people to vote for Congress to "save Punjab" from the Badal family and Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, who were "only interested in promoting their interests".

The Punjab Congress chief questioned where the Badals had got the money for personal projects and businesses, without elaborating which projects or businesses he was referring to.

He also accused Majithia of selling drugs. "He and the Badals have ruined an entire generation of youth in Punjab."

The problem, he claimed, was so rampant in his previous Lok Sabha constituency Amritsar that there were many villages where there was no surviving male member.

He also attacked the state government over "300-odd political appointments" made in the past few days. He said the Badals made the appointments in a bid to place their "own people" in plum posts ahead of the imposition of the code of conduct.

Promising "free" power to farm sector and a reduction in in the tariff for industrial and commercial consumers, he said if Congress is voted to power no subsidy would be withdrawn.

He reiterated his promise not to allow a "single drop of water" to go out of Punjab. "The Akali government led by Parkash Singh Badal failed to protect the state's rights in the SYL case but I will fight on it till my last breath.