Dera’s revelations exposed anti-Sikh face of Akali leadership: Jakhar
Chandigarh Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Tuesday said that Dera Sacha Sauda’s statement regarding its support to the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the 2017 state assembly polls has exposed the nexus between them.
Jakhar said the existence of the nexus which was suspected by people so far has been proven to be true by the Sirsa-based dera’s admission that they voted for Akalis. “It is unfortunate that the SAD which proclaims itself as a Panthic outfit joined hands with the dera just for the sake of political power,” he told reporters here. He was accompanied by cooperation minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
The PPCC chief’s statement came a day after the dera’s state committee, in a press conference, termed the Punjab Police’s probe into alleged sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib as a conspiracy of the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government to defame the sect for political mileage. It also cited the dera’s call to its supporters to back the SAD in the previous polls as the probable reason behind the government action.
Responding to dera’s statement, the PPCC chief accused the SAD of backstabbing the Panth by hobnobbing with Dera Sacha Sauda to remain in power. “The candid admission by dera followers has established beyond any doubt that a deal was struck between Sukhbir Badal and the dera chief as per which the latter was granted pardon and his movie was screened across the state,” he alleged.
Jakhar also said the people of state in general, and Sikhs in particular, would never forgive Sukhbir Badal as the dera had never admitted till now about giving political support to any party. He said that Panthic organisations should come forward and demand excommunicating Sukhbir from Sikh faith for hobnobbing with these anti-Sikh forces.