Chandigarh, March 20
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab State General Secretary and Media Incharge Baltej Pannu turned the ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege) debate back on Shiromani Akali Dal Chief Sukhbir Badal, calling him out for attempting to rewrite Punjab’s history to deflect blame. He pointed out that all the most controversial cases trace back to the Akali regime, adding that, faced with growing political irrelevance, Badal is now trying to revive his career by shifting blame onto others, a move the people of Punjab can clearly see through.
Hitting back strongly, Pannu stated, “By holding the AAP government responsible for incidents of ‘beadbi’ (sacrilege), Sukhbir Singh Badal is making a failed attempt to save his political ground, but he has forgotten that the people of Punjab are well aware of his reality.”
Questioning his claims, Pannu said, “Badal says incidents of ‘beadbi’ began in Punjab after AAP came to power. Perhaps he has forgotten that in 1986, when the Sri Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated in Nakodar and four youths demanding justice were martyred, whose government was in power in Punjab? Was the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab at that time? The people of Punjab have not forgotten which forces were behind that bloody episode.”
Referring to the 2015 incidents, he continued, “Who was in power when the sacred saroop of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala in June 2015? The desecration of the stolen bir took place in October 2015. During this entire period, the Badal family was in power in Punjab. Was there an AAP government in Punjab at that time?” The truth is that it was your government that patronised the culprits.”
Citing police action and subsequent developments, Pannu added that at Kotkapura’s Chowk, police carried out brutality on peacefully protesting sangat, and during the firing at Behbal Kalan, two innocent Sikhs were martyred. “The reports of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission and the Justice Zora Singh Commission clearly point towards who the real faces behind these incidents were. Today, Badal himself is out on bail in the Kotkapura case. Along with him, Sumedh Saini, Charanjit Sharma, and Umranangal are also out on bail, which stands as testimony to the dark deeds of that regime,” he added.
Pannu said, “The Akali Dal’s rule from 2007 to 2017 is a dark chapter in Punjab’s history. No one else but Sukhbir Singh Badal and his party are responsible for pushing Punjab into an era of drugs, corruption, and ‘beadbi’. To escape their responsibilities, they are now making baseless allegations against AAP, but the people of Punjab will never forget or forgive them.”
