Don’t dance to Gandhi family’s tunes on CAA: Sukhbir to CM

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to clarify if he was opposed to giving relief to persecuted

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday asked chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to clarify if he was opposed to giving relief to persecuted Sikhs under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

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In a statement, Sukhbir said by opposing the CAA, the CM was opposing the relief given to Sikhs under the Act. “This does nothing except fulfil the anti-Sikh agenda of the Congress. If Amarinder is really serious about giving relief to persecuted Sikhs in Pakistan and Afghanistan, he should join the SAD in seeking inclusion of Muslims in the CAA,” he said.

Asking the chief minister not to dance to the tunes of the Gandhi family alone and also be sensitive about the need to give refuge to persecuted Sikhs as well as other minorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan, he said the SAD voted in favour of the Citizen Amendment Bill to save Sikhs. “However, we recorded our dissent and demanded that Muslims also be included in the new Act. We have stuck to our stand and have preferred to forsake contesting the Delhi assembly elections rather than give up our principled stand on this issue,” he said.

Sukhbir also asked Amarinder not to try to fool Punjabis and create a smoke screen to divert attention from the abysmal failure of his government on all fronts.

“The CM should tell Punjabis how Muslims would gain if the Sikhs were denied benefit under the CAA,” he said, advising Amarinder not to issue ridiculous statements which only exposed his subservience to the Gandhi family and his desire to make the family happy to save his chair in Punjab.