
PATIALA, Dec 27: Former minister and ex-president of the Indian Youth Congress Maninderjit Singh Bitta today attacked senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar for calling on the Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh and inviting him to participate in the 8220;Teg Fateh Sarbans Daani Yatra8221; being organised by the Congress in celebration of the 300 years of the Birth of the Khalsa.
Addresing a press conference at the residence of the Nagar Sudhar Committee Chairman Sushil Jain, Bitta said that Brar shouldn8217;t have gone to the Takht chief to invite him for the march before discussing the matter at a suitable party forum.
Bitta said that the PPCC vice-president had also hurt the sentiments of the Congressmen by urging the Akal Takht chief to mediate in the ongoing war of attrition between the SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Bitta said that the Congress was a secular party and he was opposed to inviting the Akal Takht Jathedar to the proposed march as this might encourage the Takht chiefs to 8220;start issuing Hukamnamas to the Congressmen8221;. Bitta also said the Jathedar could serve the community in a better manner by passing Hukamnamas against the mushrooming of pubs and discotheques in Chandigarh and Punjab.
Bitta also called for making new laws to tackle terrorism in the border states. He said he would be meeting Union Home Minister L. K. Advani to urge him to sack the Assam government which instead of taking the militants head on, was talking of holding talks with them.