Condemning the attack on Lt Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar, Punjab state Congress chief Amarinder Singh, on Tuesday demanded stoppage of work on Operation Bluestar memorial as it was "provoking" such violence.
He accused Badal government of inflaming passions and not allowing "old wounds to
heal" by its actions like construction of the memorial in memory of the militants who had been killed at Golden Temple complex during Operation Bluestar 28 years ago.
Amarinder said the attack on Brar "is highly condemnable and those guilty of it must be brought to book".
He blamed chief minister Parkash Singh Badal for "creating such a situation, by establishing memorials like on Operation Bluestar, which do not allow the old wounds to heal".
"All his life he (Badal) has indulged in just one thing to provoke people and inflame passions while hiding himself...," he alleged.
"The construction of a memorial in memory of those militants who had been killed at Golden Temple complex during Operation Bluestar, had provoked the minds of young elements and the stabbing incident of Lt Gen Brar was the result of this provocation," Amarinder said, adding that he had been opposing the memorial.
Referring to the recent meeting with Sanjha Morcha leaders, he outrightly rejected the formation of third front in Punjab.
He made it clear that Congress would not tie-up with any political party in the state and said that their leaders had requested him to prepare a joint action programme to oppose the new taxes recently imposed on the people of Punjab.