Aujla, Khanna condemn attack on Badal

Amritsar’s Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla has strongly condemned the assassination bid on senior Akali Dal leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. He said the law and order situation in Punjab was very alarming.

Badal was undergoing Tankhah (religious punishment) ordered by the Akal Takht when former Khalistani militant Narain Singh Chaura shot at him. However, alarmed policemen in civvies foiled the attack and Chaura was arrested. Aujla demanded a CBI probe into the incident and an exemplary punishment for the perpetrator.

Similarly, state BJP vice-president and former MLA Arvind Khanna expressed his concern over the attack on Badal, while seeking a high- level probe into the incident. Khanna attributed the deteriorating situation in Punjab to the flawed policies of the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in the state. He also sought a probe into security lapse of a Z-plus protected leader. He termed it as a well-thought conspiracy, which could only be uncovered through a thorough investigation.

Ajaypal Singh Brar, president of Misl Satluj, said attacking Badal inside Golden Temple was highly condemnable. He emphasised that firing at Badal, who was seeking penance as per orders of the Akal Takht, was a violation of those orders. “Attacking anyone while he is performing penance is highly inappropriate. Expressing anger through such an attack is not justified,” he said.