Govt decides on House session by month-end

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 31

Banking on the findings of the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission regarding political conspiracy behind the sacrilege incidents and the subsequent police action to corner the SAD-BJP, the Congress government has decided to advance the Vidhan Sabha’s monsoon session to the third week of August. Earlier, the session was scheduled for September-end.

Politics over the matter has gathered momentum, with the report indicting the then top brass of the state police and dwelled on the role of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday posting his pictures and statements issued immediately after the incidents in 2015, on Instagram.

Aam Aadmi Party MLA HS Phoolka too has demanded a special session to apprise the House of the findings of the Commission report.

Sources in the Congress said inconclusive references to top Akali leaders Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal, in context of the sacrilege incidents were enough to fuel a political narrative against the SAD in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and panchayat elections scheduled in September.

References to the apology granted by Akal Takht to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a blasphemy case could also be used by the ruling party to its advantage.

Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa said once the report was tabled in the House, it became public document. The CM has kept his commitment to table the report, he said.

“By tabling the report as well as the action taken report against those indicted by the Commission, the ruling party will try to embarrass the Akalis, who were in power when the sacrilege incidents took place. This would also help the Congress government to wriggle out of the charge of going soft on the Akali-BJP leaders and diverting people’s attention from core issues of the state,” said a senior PPCC leader.

Defending the decision of the CM to order further probe to the CBI, a Cabinet minister said though the report was enough to act against those held responsible, the government by referring the probe to the central agency had shown that it was not indulging in vendetta politics.

Politics over report

• Sources in the Congress said inconclusive references to top Akali leaders Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal in context of the sacrilege incidents were enough to fuel a political narrative against the SAD in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and panchayat elections scheduled in September