Audio clip row: Cong, SAD in war of words

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14

The heat over organising of Sarbat Khalsa by certain Sikh leaders earlier this week may have died down, but it has led to a political battle being played out between the Akali Dal and Congress as they try to discredit each other.

Besides, Sikh leaders who had organised Sarbat Khalsa have reiterated their stand to start statewide protests from tomorrow, if all their arrested leaders were not released.

As Punjab’s own snoopgate unfolded, with the Akali Dal asking the top leadership of the Congress in Delhi to rein in its leaders who were sharing the stage with “anti-nationals”, the Congress distanced itself from Sarbat Khalsa, claiming its secular and nationalist credentials could not be questioned.

The Congress has questioned the authenticity of audio clips (between two Congress leaders and leaders of the United Akali Dal, promising to send people for Sarbat Khalsa). It has also accused the ruling Akali Dal of tapping phones of their political opponents and using the police as their “private militia”.

The audio clips of the two Congress leaders, identified in the clip as Harminder Singh Gill and Lalli Majithia, are heard assuring UAD leader Satnam Singh Manawan of sending crowds to Sarbat Khalsa. The Akali Dal has all along been claiming that the Congress had been supporting those organising the congregation.

“With two prominent Congress leaders – Ramanjit Singh Sikki and Inderjit Singh Zira — sharing stage with these leaders at Sarbat Khalsa where demands of a separate Sikh state were raised, the Congress high command should answer where they stand? The people who organised the event were anti-nationals and questioned the unity of the country. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi should clear the air?” said Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, SAD spokesperson.

Cheema plays clips

At the party head office here, Dr Cheema also played the audio clips, reiterating that the Congress had supported Sarbat Khalsa. He, however, denied any government role in tapping phone calls and maintained that it was only after the audio clips were uploaded on a video sharing social platform that they heard these conversations.

Reacting to this, Punjab Congress president Partap Bajwa said the Congress had no role to play in Sarbat Khalsa. “The two Congress leaders who participated went as Sikhs, outraged by the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib. The moment they realised that an anti-nationalist agenda was being propagated, they left the stage,” he said. Bajwa alleged the government had bought state-of-the-art spying equipment to snoop on their opponents and mediapersons.

‘Sukhbir met radicals’

Bajwa claimed Sukhbir held a meeting with UAD leaders Mokham Singh and Gurdeep Singh Bathinda in Delhi along with former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and ADGP Hardeep Dhillon to ensure the shifting of former militant Devinderpal Singh Bhullar to Amritsar.

Capt Amarinder Singh, too, rejected the charges of Congress hand in Sarbat Khalsa. He alleged Badal had left his second-rung leaders to defend him. On phone recordings claimed to of Congress leaders, he said, “The leaders have already rejected these allegations. By claiming to be in possession of call recordings of our leaders, hasn’t the government admitted that it has been tapping the phones of political opponents which is a criminal offence?” he alleged.