Falsely accused of involvement in desecration cases, says SAD chief

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday claimed innocence in cases involving the desecration of religious texts during his party’s coalition government in 2015, saying their rivals levelled “false allegations” against him.

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The leader made the statement addressing his party workers, whom he urged to show their political rivals that their party is “yet not finished and has just woken up” from its slumber.

This has come days after Badal underwent a 10-day religious punishment awarded by the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs — for the mistakes committed by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) during its decade-long rule from 2007-17 over issues concerning the community.

The later part of the SAD regime, which ruled in alliance with the BJP, was marked by incidents of the desecration of religious texts and subsequent police firing on protesters that resulted in the death of two persons in 2015.

Earlier, the SAD leader had submitted through a letter an unconditional apology to the Akal Takht for the mistakes committed during his party’s rule.

‘Took blame on myself as Takht supreme for us’

However, in his first public address after completing his religious punishment, Badal told SAD workers that “he took all the blame” on himself as the “Akal Takht is supreme for him” and his party.

“They (political rivals) levelled false allegations of sacrilege against me. However, the SAD is a party that works on the ethos of the Akal Takht, which is supreme for us, and that’s why I decided to take all the blame on myself. People played politics over it, but I thought this was the only way out,” he said.

‘Launch of Amritpal’s outfit an attempt to weaken SAD’

Badal also attacked Khalistan sympathiser and Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha MP Amrtipal Singh, saying the jailed lawmaker’s supporters are trying to form an outfit with the sole aim of weakening his party that has always held the Akal Takht as supreme.

“Ask those forming the new political party if they respect the Akal Takht,” he said, days after Amritpal’s backers announced to launch a political outfit at a Maghi Mela conference in Muktsar on January 14 and named it Shiromani Akali Dal (Anandpur Sahib).

The move to name the outfit as such is being seen as an attempt to grab the Panthic space from Punjab’s former ruling party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), whose voter base among the Sikhs has shrunk in recent years.

The SAD too has announced to organise a political event during Maghi Mela.

Commenting on it, Badal made an earnest appeal to party workers to show their rivals at the party’s Maghi Mela rally on January 14 that the SAD is ready for a turnaround.

“It is being projected as if the SAD is finished. In fact, the SAD has just woken up,” he said urging party workers to bring at least 100 buses packed with supporters from each of the four Assembly constituencies of Muktsar district to their proposed rally.

“No one should come in his or her car or jeeps. Everyone must come to the rally venue in buses. Stay there until the programme concludes, and then go to the gurdwaras and the mela,” he added.

Yet to grant permission for Maghi Mela rallies, says DC

Meanwhile, Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Tripathi said they are yet to grant permission to political parties to hold rallies during Maghi Mela.

He said till now, they have received applications from the SAD (Badal), SAD (Amritsar), MPs Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa, and Tarksheel Society, seeking permission to hold events.

“None of these has been granted permission so far,” said the DC.

“Before granting permission, we will seek a report from the police, asking about the nature of the rally, the kind of speeches to be delivered, and whether it could create any law and order issues,” Muktsar SDM Baljeet Kaur said.