Don’t you favour granting citizenship to Afghan Sikhs, Sukhbir asks Capt

A day after chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced that his government will not allow Citizenship Amendment Bill, now an Act, to be implemented in his state, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal asked him if he favours granting Indian citizenship to Sikhs who migrated from minorities Afghanistan.

“Amarinder does not know... he has no power to deny the Union law,” said Sukhbir, who was here to do sewa (voluntarily service) at Golden Temple to mark party’s 99th foundation day.

“I would like to ask Captain Sahib if he wants to make our 75,000 brothers and sisters who have migrated from Afghanistan, citizens or not. The Shiromani Akali Dal has been fighting for last 10 years for ensuring Indian citizenship to these people.”

Before addressing meeting of party working committee at Bhai Gurdas Hall near the Golden Temple, the SAD chief said: “We raised demand that the Act should be secular in nature. Muslims should also get the benefit of the amended Act.”

‘DHINDSA IS LIKE MY FATHER’

Replying to query regarding allegations levelled by senior SAD leader and Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Sukhbir said: “Dhindsa Sahib is like my father. I don’t want to say anything about him. I grew and played in the hands of senior Akali leaders like Dhindsa. I respect him a lot.”

Pointing a finger at the Badal family, Dhindsa had alleged that the organisational set up of the party is no longer democratic.