A day after radical Sikh organisations called Captain Amarinder Singh a “coward” while addressing a gathering at Bargari, the Punjab chief minister on Monday warned hardliners against trying to “disturb peace in Punjab”.
In a stinging attack on radicals and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders who had accused him of playing a “friendly match with the Badals” during their speeches on Sunday, Amarinder said some people with vested political interests were seeking to politicise the sensitive issues.
“Punjab has seen 20 years of turmoil. Our people want peace and will not be carried away by the attempts of such elements to take political mileage from it. I will not allow radicals or those piggybacking on them to disturb the hard-earned peace in the state,” the CM told reporters here.
He denied that the situation has gone out of government’s control saying his government was fully equipped to deal with it. “What should I do? I can’t lift the morcha forcibly,” Amarinder said.
He also rebutted allegations of the Akali Dal that the ruling Congress was supporting radicals, holding the Bargari sit-in since June 1, to get control of the SGPC. “Do you think I am a radical? I have never had any links with such groups. We would support any moderate group of Sikhs to get control of the SGPC as I want Badals out of it. They have done enough damage to the gurdwaras. And Badals (former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal) are not moderates. They are opportunists who use people of all shades to meet their political ends,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He also rebutted allegations of the Akali Dal that the ruling Congress was supporting radicals, holding the Bargari sit-in since June 1, to get control of the SGPC. “Do you think I am a radical? I have never had any links with such groups. We would support any moderate group of Sikhs to get control of the SGPC as I want Badals out of it. They have done enough damage to the gurdwaras. And Badals (former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal) are not moderates. They are opportunists who use people of all shades to meet their political ends,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Under fire from Bargari protesters that “he was going soft on Badals”, the CM said there was no question of backtracking from party’s poll promise of bringing culprits of the sacrilege and police firing incidents to justice.
“It’s my job as CM to form the special investigation team (SIT). It is the SIT’s job to take culprits to trial courts. I cannot interfere in its functioning. The SIT has started its work. The SIT was fully aware of the sensitivity and urgency of the matter and would not delay its investigations. They have to submit an interim report to the Punjab and Haryana high court by November 14,” he said.