Amarinder flays Akali Dal stand on Bihar

He further criticised the Akali Dal for having 8220;forgotten8221; the long-pending issues of Punjab, including the settlement of inter-state river water dispute. Singh said that his party would not let a single drop of the Punjab water to go outside the state.

Accusing the warring Akali leaders of vitiating the atmosphere in the state, he charged that the turnout at the hola festival this time was low due to the ongoing political crisis within the ruling party. Criticising Tohra and Badal for 8220;lowering the dignity of the Akal Takht to settle personal rivalries8221;, Singh said the Punjabis will not forgive them for this.

Adding that the Akali Dal had pushed the state into crisis on the eve of the historic event, he said that all the development works were stalled due to internal contradictions of the ruling SAD. Others who spoke on the occasion include former chief minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former finance minister Kewal Krishan, Congress Legislative Party Leader Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, Punjab Youth Congress president Devinder Singh Babbu. Former MLAs Ramesh Dutt Sharma, Shamsher Singh Rai and Avtar Henry were also present on the occasion. Among the district-level party leaders were PPCC nominated member Rana K.P. Singh and Roopnagar Congress chief Harminder Saini.

Earlier, speaking to this correspondent, Bhattal warned against the revival of militancy on account of the current political crisis in the ruling Akali Dal. Adding that the infighting in the Akali Dal was not unusual, she said, 8220; Our only worry is that the current crisis may eclipse the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab.8221;Justifying party decision to hold the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations she said that it was the Congress government which had earlier built the Guru Gobind Singh Marg. Adding that the criticism of the Congress on this account was highly uncalled for, she said,8220; We will also participate in the kar sewa being held at Durgiana temple in Amritsar.8221;

Expressing confidence in the leadership of Amarinder Singh, she said, 8220;All speculations of internal party differences are misleading.8221;

The PPCC conference was held near the Khalsa college. However, Ramesh Dutt Sharma alleged that the district administration did not allow them to hold the conference at its original venue, near the site of the proposed Khalsa Heritage Memorial complex. 8220;In all, we had hired 12 acres of land on lease near the proposed complex site, but the administration raised makeshift toilets and later denied us permission to hold our function there8221;, he said adding, 8220;this was done at the behest of the ruling party that wanted us to shift our venue elsewhere8221;.