Will make everyone including Badal pay for crimes, says Amarinder

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday said he would make everyone including former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal pay for their "crimes", alleging that desecration of religious scriptures during SAD-BJP regime were "deliberately triggered to divide votes on communal lines".

The chief minister said IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap was transferred by the Election Commission "under pressure" of the Badals, exerted through the Union government, would be brought back in the Special Investigation Team.

The Punjab government had formed the SIT to probe the 2015 sacrilege and police firing incidents at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan.

"If Parkash Singh Badal is found guilty, he will go behind bars," said the CM at an election rally at Dana Mandi here in support of Congress candidate Jasbir Singh Dimpa.

 

"How long do you think you can save yourself from the consequences of your actions," he asked the Akali supremo.

He also pointed out that there had not been a single case of sacrilege under the Congress government.

Amarinder Singh sought votes for the Congress to protect the nation from the divisive BJP and their allies such as SAD, and also to safeguard India from the security threats at the border.

Citing the "total devastation" of Punjab during the SAD-BJP rule, he called on the people to strengthen the Congress and let the Badals know where Sikhs and Punjab stands today.

The whole of Punjab wants to get rid of the Badals and the only way to do it in a democracy is to vote them out, he said, adding that he would personally go to Ferozepur and Bathinda to turn the tide against Sukhbir and Harsimrat Badal.

Lashing out at the "misuse" of SGPC and Akal Takht (highest temporal seat of Sikhs) by the Badals for "political gains", Amarinder Singh stressed on the need to send all 13 Congress MPs to Parliament to ensure that the SGPC elections, now due, are conducted without delay.

He reiterated that he would support anyone who can help take SGPC out of the control of the Akalis.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "divisive politics", Amarinder warned that he would ruin the country completely if allowed to get a second term as the prime minister.

India is facing threats from all sides, but Modi can only think in terms of "my fauj" (army), Amarinder Singh said, adding that the armed forces did not belong to the PM but were India's pride.