Capt dares Akalis to quit NDA, Sukhbir hits back

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 21

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday dared the SAD to quit the NDA at the Centre, a day after the party decided not to contest the Delhi Assembly polls on being told by the BJP to change its stance over the Citizenship (Amended) Act (CAA).

Capt Amarinder also asserted that the SAD’s claim that they had decided against contesting the Delhi polls on account of differences over the CAA was “preposterous and unacceptable”.

He said the decision was “motivated by political compulsions” as the SAD had realised that it had “no ground support” and could not win even a single seat.

“Or perhaps, the BJP was not ready to give them what they wanted in terms of seats, prompting them to look for a graceful way out of the situation,” he alleged.

Responding to Amarinder Singh’s challenge, the SAD chief asked him to clarify if he was opposed to giving relief to persecuted Sikhs under the CAA and whether he was fighting to get the entire Act rejected to end relief given to Sikhs.

In a statement, Sukhbir said by opposing CAA, the CM was opposing the relief given to Sikhs under the amended law. He claimed that the Akalis voted in favour of the CAA to save the Sikhs.

AAP: Double standards exposed

Chandigarh: Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema has described the clarification given by the Badals on the rift between the SAD and the BJP as the “height of double standards”. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the AAP leader said even though it was an internal matter of the BJP and the SAD, the plausible reason being cited by the Badals was far from reality. “Both Sukhbir and his wife Harsimrat had voted in favour of the CAA in Parliament,” he said

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