Bathinda, August 12
Though it was the re-launch ceremony of the state’s biggest industrial project, the platform was exploited to the hilt to fire salvos at the Shiromani Akali Dal and its chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, with the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, leading the attack.
While the CM openly challenged Mr Badal to apologise for the thousands of killings that took place during militancy in the state, PPCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo and Finance Minister Surinder Singla also came down heavily on Mr Badal and his party.
The CM first talked about the refinery and development, but soon switched over to “Badal bashing”. With the ATR on Nanavati Commission report playing heavily on the minds of the state Congress leaders, the CM said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had apologised to the nation for the 1984 riots and also removed those pinned by the commission from their posts. “Can Mr Badal do such a thing?” he thundered.
He said Mr Badal came out with the Anandpur Resolution and accused him of misleading the state’s youth. He accused Mr Badal of spoiling the state’s atmosphere that ultimately led to militancy. He said thousands of people lost their family members during the dark days of terrorism. A visibly fuming Chief Minister said when the situation worsened “Mr Badal courted arrest and left people to die.”
He said Mr Badal should apologise to the people of Punjab for thousands of deaths that took place during militancy. He said none of the Akali leaders lost their family members in militancy, but the Congress had lost many of its leaders, including the then CM, Mr Beant Singh.
He said instead of talking about Meenar-e-Shaheeda, Mr Badal should look towards future. He alleged that Mr Badal failed to protect the state’s interests and it was the Congress that took an unprecedented step to protect its waters. Interestingly, he again challenged Mr Badal this time to get the foundation stone of a bridge laid near Machhiwara. A stone had already been laid there by the ex-CM Beant Singh. “I’ll see as to how they go ahead with it. With Section 144 already imposed, we will put them behind bars and teach them a lesson,” he warned the Akalis.
Finance Minister Surinder Singla went a step ahead and said if Mr Badal’s party laid the foundation of that bridge, they would get the foundation stone of the refinery replaced. The then PM, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, had laid the refinery’s foundation in 1998. He said Mr Badal had made false claims of bringing the refinery to Bathinda. He said the Congress government had in fact demanded a refinery in Punjab way back in 1982.
The PPCC president, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, spoke the least about the refinery and swiftly resorted to targeting his rival party and its leader. He said the Congress brought all the big projects to the state and the Akalis had only “wreaked havoc in the state”.
He praised the Prime Minister for apologising for the 1984 riots. He alleged that the Akalis were playing “politics of religion” and were whipping up people’s sentiments for gaining political mileage.
