Even as the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt Amarinder Singh, and state unit president Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the incident in which a shoe was thrown at CM Parkash Singh Badal in Issru village near Khanna, Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Saturday reached Khanna to give surety for bail of the show-thrower, Bikram.
However, Khaira claimed that the sub-divisional magistrate-cum-additional deputy commissioner, Ajay Sood, refused to accept the bail bond for Bikram, who is charged under section 107 and 151 of the CrPC for 'apprehension of breach of peace and tranquility of an area'. Sood, when contacted, simply said, "Every action initiated is legal. I gave Bikram due opportunity to give his bail bond but he could not. As a result, he was sent to judicial remand."
In a statement issued on Saturday, Khaira also accused the chief minister of pressurising the officials to refuse the bail. "We have learnt that the Khanna police on verbal instructions of the CM have resorted to third-degree torture, and after detaining [Bikram] overnight sent him to judicial custody without informing his near and dear ones."
Khaira called upon Badal to "unconditionally"" release Bikram, terming his act as a "symbolic protest". The shoe-throwing act of Bikram may appear to be indecent, rude and against the law, but is definitely not an act of personal animosity or hatred for Badal, according to Khaira. "In fact, Badal should deeply introspect why a young man has expressed resentment in such a manner. It should be treated as a symbol of deep frustration, dejection, anger and anguish that has overpowered the hearts and minds of lakhs of such unemployed youth. It is also an act to oppose and defy the draconian and anti-people policies being pursued by power-drunken feudals and autocrats like the Badal clan," Khaira went on to add.
{{/usCountry}}Khaira called upon Badal to "unconditionally"" release Bikram, terming his act as a "symbolic protest". The shoe-throwing act of Bikram may appear to be indecent, rude and against the law, but is definitely not an act of personal animosity or hatred for Badal, according to Khaira. "In fact, Badal should deeply introspect why a young man has expressed resentment in such a manner. It should be treated as a symbol of deep frustration, dejection, anger and anguish that has overpowered the hearts and minds of lakhs of such unemployed youth. It is also an act to oppose and defy the draconian and anti-people policies being pursued by power-drunken feudals and autocrats like the Badal clan," Khaira went on to add.
{{/usCountry}}He also asked Badal to follow the "magnanimity" shown by former US President George Bush and former finance minister P Chidambaram, "who when faced with similar humiliating attacks had decided to pardon the attackers".
Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh today strongly condemned the attempt to throw shoe at the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a public meeting at village Issru near Khanna in Ludhiana district.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Saturday, Amarinder "strongly" condemned the incident: "Whatever may be the reasons or whatever may be the political differences, nobody should be allowed to try to hurt the dignity of the chief minister or for that matter anybody else." He added that "this trend of trying to throw shoes at dignitaries must be dealt with firmly according to the law".
Congress candidate for the Patiala assembly bypoll, Preneet Kaur, too condemned the incident and said, "The limits of decency and propriety must not be crossed, and such incidents must be condemned by one and all."