Keeping alive the issue of desecration of holy scriptures in 2015 and subsequent police firing at protesters in Behbal Kalan and Bargari, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh Thursday warned the Shiromani Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal and party president Sukhbir Badal that their attempts to scuttle the SIT probe into the incidents would not succeed. He said the Special Investigation Team officer, who he said was transferred by the Badals, will be brought back to head the probe the day polling ends and ensure that those responsible for the sacrilege and the killings are punished. He was referring to Punjab IG Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, a member of the SIT who was transferred last month on a directive by the Election Commission. Addressing a rally in favour of Congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh from Jalandhar, Amarinder claimed that not a single major case of sacrilege was reported since his government came to power in March 2017. “They (Badals) have defied justice so far by not accepting their own Zora Commission report and the Ranjit Singh Commission findings. But, they will not succeed in their mission to create tension to divide people and garner support of the Sikh community through such actions,” he said, adding that the cases being investigated by SIT were of murder and anyone found guilty would face the consequences, as per law. The CM asked voters to throw out the “communally divisive” BJP and Akali Dal to usher an era of peace and prosperity under a Congress government. “Anyone who wants to divide people on communal lines has no place in our civilised nation,” he said at an election meeting here. Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Punjab CM said that his blood “boils” when he hears him “shamelessly” asking for votes in the name of Pulwama martyrs or the Balakot air strike. “It is the fauj (soldiers) and its people getting killed everyday in the line of duty; it is not Modi’s fauj. He is using their sacrifice for political gains,” he said. “The media, which he controls, is also speaking the voice of the PM, but the people can see which way the winds are blowing. These winds will sweep Modi and his BJP away,” he said. Pointing to the significance of Kartarpur in the context of the 550th ‘Parkash Purb’ celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, Singh hoped the Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan will be ready in time to enable all devotees to pay their respects at the historic gurdwara across the border. Taking a dig at Modi for “failing” to take the Sultanpur Lodhi development scheme forward, he said the Union home minister had held meetings but had only invited the Badals to discuss the plans. The CM also blamed the Modi government for “aggravating” the problems of industry and farmers with its “wrong” policies. Capt takes questions from public In his address, Amarinder took five questions from audience over the issues of sacrilege, loan waiver, and sand mining. In response to a question, the CM ruled out any nexus with the Badals to save them from punishment in sacrilege case and added that he would not reduce himself to the level of the Akalis by indulging in political vendetta. To another question, he said financial constraints, including the Rs 31,000 crore loan, has prevented his government from implementing all the promises at the outset but there were still three years to go and he will fulfill all the promises. The smart phones promised to youngsters will also be distributed soon as first tranche of 3.5 lakh phones of the total 10.5 lakh units required under the scheme has already been ordered. Rejecting the charge of waiving of farm loans of only the Akalis, the CM said that poor farmers were being reached out, irrespective of their political affiliation. On a question of MSP for maize crop, he said the only solution was in toto implementation of MS Swaminathan recommendations. The recurrence of illegal mining in some places was the result of restrictions by the high court, which had also resulted in sand prices spiraling out of control, Amarinder said, adding that fresh auctions would soon be announced to stabilise the situation once again.
