Activists of Ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today held a protest march here and burnt effigies of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders for the party's alleged "role" in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
Effigies of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar for their alleged "involvement" in the riots in Delhi, were also burnt.
Led by SAD's Kapurthala district president Sarwan Singh Kular, the protesters assembled on the premises of local Gurdwara Akalian and marched from there through the city markets before converging outside bus stand along the National Highway 1 where the effigies were set ablaze.
During the march, anti-Congress slogans were raised while protestors demanded justice for the victims of the 1984 riots.
Party councillors, including Phagwara Corporation deputy mayor Ranjit Singh Khurana, also joined the protest.
Addressing protesters, Kular, also a SGPC member, flayed Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh for his reported "advice to Sikhs to forgive and forget the killings during the riots".
"How can Sikhs forget and forgive what happened," Kular said.
He called upon Punjabis to give Congress a "befitting lesson" in the upcoming assembly polls.
Alleging that Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were "chips" of the same bloc, Kular targeted AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "befooling" Punjabis with his "misleading" statements over riots againts the Sikh community.
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Meanwhile, Punjab Irrigation Minister and Sahnewal MLA Sharanjit Singh Dhillon said it was the Congress party which "orchestrated the 1984-Sikh genocide".
Alleged that both Congress and Aam Aadmi Party leaders were using this "emotionally sensitive issue for petty political gains", Dhillon said Punjabis, especially Sikhs "very well know as to who was responsible for the riots".
After burning the effigies of Congress leaders - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Amarinder Singh at Sahnewal - he said both the Congress and AAP have "stooped so low that they are now politicising the 1984 anti-Sikh riots".
