Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday ridiculed former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh for accusing him of running away to Uttar Pradesh during Operation Bluestar, instead of keeping his promise of resisting the army action along with other Akali leaders.
“This is rubbish. I was in jail and remained in Punjab before and during Operation Bluestar,” Badal said while talking to reporters in SAS Nagar. “Amarinder has never gone to jail, while I spent several months in prison,” he added.
He said Amarinder actually wanted to curtain the "burning issue" of punishing Congress men responsible for 1984 anti-Sikh riots and, thus, was deviating from the crucial issue. Amarinder had also accused Badal of meeting union ministers in Delhi on May 26, 1984, five days before Operation Bluestar, along with two other Akali leaders.
Asked anout Amarinder’s assertion that Badal was silent over the alleged involvement of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and RSS workers and leaders in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, he said, “Has anybody ever said there was BJP or Akali Dal's hand in it?”
Badal said it was only the Congress that faced the charges of masterminding the killings on such a large scale. "The 1984 carnage was the result of a conspiracy by the then Indian government and Congress,” Badal said.
{{/usCountry}}Badal said it was only the Congress that faced the charges of masterminding the killings on such a large scale. "The 1984 carnage was the result of a conspiracy by the then Indian government and Congress,” Badal said.
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