Chandigarh, November 25
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for “wasting crores of rupees of public money” on conducting a sham Vidhan Sabha session in Sri Anandpur Sahib and said the government could have used this opportunity to upgrade the infrastructure in the holy city.
In a statement issued here today, SAD MLA Ganieve Kaur Majithia said the AAP government could have used the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib to give a boost to the infrastructure in Sri Anandpur Sahib, but instead chose to play dirty politics on such a pious occasion. She said the AAP government chose to waste crores of rupees on a one-day sham session, which had a zero outcome. She said that all this was done to give business to one tent owner.
Majithia said Punjabis were surprised to see the conduct of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who, instead of extending cooperation to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC) for organising a religious function on the occasion, chose to attack the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. The Akali leader said previous governments had used such historic occasions to bring big projects in the State. She said that during the 300th Khalsa Sajna Diwas in 1999, the then Parkash Singh Badal government established Virasat-E-Khalsa with an investment of Rs. 300 crore. “Similarly, the Guru Gobind Singh Bathinda refinery project worth Rs. 22,000 was brought to the State. Similarly, Guru Granth Sahib World University was established in Fatehgarh Sahib”.
Majithia said on the other hand, the AAP government wasted public money and played dirty politics on the occasion, only to please its “super boss Arvind Kejriwal”. She said Punjabis would never forget the cheap theatrics of Bhagwant Mann and would teach a lifetime lesson to the party for looting public money.
Meanwhile, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today appealed to the Sikh community to unite under the banner of the SAD to take back the management of Sikh institutions and shrines which had been taken over by the centre and various State governments.
Addressing a Gurmat Samagam held at gurdwara Sri Sis Ganj Sahib here on the occasion of the 350th Martyrdom Day (Shaheedi Siwas) of the ninth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, the SAD president said, “Till the time you don’t unite under a single banner, you cannot protect your religious institutions”. He said the management of Sri Huzoor Sahib and Patna Sahib was taken away from the community because the party had been weakened. He said in the same manner, central intrigue coupled with overreach of the Haryana government had led to the creation of a separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for Haryana.
Badal also castigated Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for resorting to propaganda by claiming to give the holy city tag to cities. He said both Sri Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo had been given the status of holy cities around fifteen years back by Parkash Singh Badal.
The SAD president also lambasted the chief minister for disrespecting Sri Akal Takhat Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. He said anybody who did not honour the Jathedar of the apex religious seat of the Sikh Panth was an enemy of the entire community. “You should not tolerate such insults under any circumstances”, he added.
