SAD-BJP reduced Guru’s events to mockery: Capt

With barely 10 days to go before the Kartarpur corridor is thrown open to the public, confusion persists as to who will lead the first jatha of pilgrims, Vice President Venkaihah Naidu or Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, even as the latter squarely blamed the SAD-BJP for reducing the 550th birth celebrations to a “political mockery”.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh reviews arrangements at Dera Baba Nabak on Thursday. Tribune photo: Vishal Kumar

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Dera Baba Nanak, October 31

With barely 10 days to go before the Kartarpur corridor is thrown open to the public, confusion persists as to who will lead the first jatha of pilgrims, Vice President Venkaihah Naidu or Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, even as the latter squarely blamed the SAD-BJP for reducing the 550th birth celebrations to a “political mockery”.

The Chief Minister today visited the site and inspected the facilities and infrastructure at tent city, 2.5 km from the corridor where Dera Baba Nanak Utsav is scheduled to be held from November 8-11.

Officials and ministers are in a tight spot after it became increasingly clear during the day that the final say on deciding the leader will be the prerogative of the Union Government.

Capt Amarinder has already said that he would lead the first jatha of pilgrims to Kartarpur on November 9, the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the venture. In stark contrast, Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal claimed that there would be only one group that would cross over and that would be led by Naidu.

The consensus among officials, including those from the state government, is that the BJP-led Union Government has spent nearly Rs538 crore on the corridor and, hence, has the right to decide who will lead the first group.

Capt Amarinder, however, claimed if the Centre had spent money, so did Punjab. “We have spent nearly Rs200 crore on beautifying Dera Baba Nanak and Rs500 crore for the Guru’s birth celebrations. The Akalis have scuttled all our attempts to have joint celebrations with the SGPC and now they are playing politics over the corridor. It is sheer pettiness on the part of the SAD, particularly Harsimrat Kaur Badal. The Guru’s birth celebrations have been reduced to a political mockery by the Akalis, backed by the BJP,” said the CM.

Blames Pak for visa denial

Sultanpur Lodhi: Capt Amarinder said it was not the Centre, but the Pakistani authorities, who had denied permission to 14 Punjab politicians who were to be a part of 31-member jatha to Nankana Sahib. On former PPCC chief Partap Bajwa’s statement that he would not go along with the jatha to Pakistan if the CM leads it, Capt Amarinder said, “If he does not want to go with us, let him go to the Akalis.” TNS