Using SAD manifesto to attack BJP, Congress today said the document was self-contradictory as it talked about promoting interests of minorities while its main agenda was to make Narendra Modi, who "symbolised cultural unification", the Prime Minister.
Lambasting the manifesto released today, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Partap Singh Bajwa said it was "self-contradictory, misleading, repetitive and yet another attempt to befool the people, raking up old issues about which this party has never been serious."
"The manifesto is self-contradictory as it talks of preserving and promoting the interests of all minorities in the country while at the same time, its main agenda was making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister, a person who himself as his party symbolised cultural unification of this country, which is characterised by cultural diversity," Bajwa said.
"Moreover, Modi has not even owned moral responsibility of the 2002 Gujarat riots under his government, what to talk of extending apology for the same," he said.
He called upon Sukhbir Singh Badal, who released the manifesto, to explain the "duality" and reminded him that Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apologised for the 1984 riots.
Talking about the mention of fast track courts for trying 1984 riots cases, Bajwa said Sukhbir wanted to "exploit" this issue by keeping it alive.
"The Akali Dal perhaps believes that people's memory is very short when it talked of setting up a commission under a Supreme Court judge.
"Sukhbir Singh Badal has conveniently forgotten that his party, under the presidency of Parkash Singh Badal, had made a similar promise in its manifesto for the 1997 state elections. Within months of coming into power, Badal backtracked saying it would re-open old wounds," he said.
"Sukhbir should explain as to why is he befooling the people on this sensitive issue once again, just like his father," he said.
Bajwa said the Akali Dal had raked up issues like transfer of Chandigarh, river water and the federal structure, which had been part of its manifestos for years.
"Please stop misleading the people time and again as they have seen through your game. You did not write even one formal letter to the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in which you were the part on these issues," he said.
