Local MP Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday warned chief minister Parkash Singh Badal against pushing Punjab into a constitutional crisis, by not only "abdicating his authority and responsibility" as the chief minister but also by "building up an explosive situation that had the potential to explode and spiral out of control only to satisfy his ego and vested interests".
"Chief ministers are expected to adopt constitutional means and methods and not resort to extra-constitutional blackmail, which Badal is trying to do," he said, while referring to the protest Badal was planning to lead against the setting up of a separate Haryana Shiromai Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC).
Amarinder questioned the very logic of the protest against the HSGMC saying it was part of the Congress manifestoes in 2004 and 2009 in response to the demand made by the Sikhs there. He said it was wrong to drag Congress president Sonia Gandhi into the issue.
"Better be cautious that in the mad pursuit of seeking the dismissal of the Haryana government you may end up forcing your alliance partners to consider the dismissal of your own government as they (the NDA) also don't seem happy about the way you are trying to push the state towards anarchy," Amarinder said.
Asking the chief minister to reconsider his congregation in the interest of peace in the state of which he is the chief minister, Amarinder said, "There is a sense of unease, uncertainty, fear and panic among the people the way the situation is being built up by Badal at Amritsar. People have started relating these developments to what happened in the early eighties that pushed Punjab into a dark decade," he said, while suggesting to Badal to adopt constitutional means.
{{/usCountry}}Asking the chief minister to reconsider his congregation in the interest of peace in the state of which he is the chief minister, Amarinder said, "There is a sense of unease, uncertainty, fear and panic among the people the way the situation is being built up by Badal at Amritsar. People have started relating these developments to what happened in the early eighties that pushed Punjab into a dark decade," he said, while suggesting to Badal to adopt constitutional means.
{{/usCountry}}Referring to the Sunday congregation, Amarinder asked Badal, "Do you take the responsibility about what would happen there or you would behave as you always have by provoking and pushing people into the problem and running away yourself."
He said, "Imagine if there is an untoward incident, a law-and-order problem, as there is every apprehension, would the police be able to act against the chief minister, who happens to be the effective head of the state, at the forefront of the protest?"