Cong backing parallel Jathedars, claims Sukhbir

Tribune News Service

Issru (Ludhiana), August 16

Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday rejected the report of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission and said Punjabis would not let the Congress and the “bogus” Jathedars to weaken the SAD and wrest control of the SGPC.

Addressing a gathering here, Sukhbir termed Justice Ranjit Singh (retd) as a Congress man and alleged he had played politics in the name of religion.

He alleged the report was prepared by Congress-supported parallel Jathedars.

He said it was shameful that the Congress, which had attacked the Golden Temple and had led the 1984 riots, was trying to hold the SAD responsible for sacrilege incidents. He said a fair probe into all such cases be done by a judge of the Supreme Court.

He said the Congress had come out with advertisements claiming drugs had been eradicated from Punjab and 1.8 lakh youths had got jobs and farm loans had been waived. He claimed that it was a lie and the truth was that the Congress had earned Rs3,000 crore by taxing farmers in the form of market fee and rural development cess even as it had given them Rs900-crore waiver.