New Delhi: The Congress Party on Saturday countered the Shiromani Akali Dal's (SAD's) claim of it being 'anti-national' by saying that Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in trying to justify the faliure of his own government by making such remarks.
Addressing a press conference here, state Congress leader, Captain Amarinder Singh said, “Sukhbir Badal has tried to justify the failure of his own governmnet and people in Punjab know the truth that is why he came to Delhi.”
Responding to Sukhbir Singh's allegations that the grand old party is creating an alliance with the terrorist organizations, Amarinder Singh said, “Badals are trying to hide their failure by putting blame on Sarbat Khalsa. People are without jobs in Punjab, drug rackets are on high rise.”
The senior Congress leader further dared Sukhbir Badal to book his party leaders for sedition if he had any evidence of Congress leaders' "anti-national activities".
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Referring to the 'Sarbat Khalsa', the religious congregation of the Sikhs held at Amritsar recently, Amarinder said, the presence of huge number of people there was an expression of "anger" against the Badal government and not to support Khalistan as being projected by Sukhbir Badal and Khalistan protagonist Simranjit Singh Mann together.
On Sukhbir's claims that he had proof as to how anti-national resolutions at the 'Sarbat Khalsa' were prepared and passed, what was he doing as the
"Does his responsibility finish at blaming the Congress," he asked, adding, he should better own the moral responsibility and resign.
Further hitting out at the Akali Dal, the Congress leader said, “Everyday Akalis are getting beaten up by public in Punjab, even yesterday one leader was beaten up. Akali Dal will not win even one seat in Punjab if elections are held today.”
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The former Punjab Chief Minister further said, the Akalis including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal were "unnerved" over Congress' popularity in the state and had now launched a "malicious and slanderous" campaign against the party and its leaders.
On Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's dual citizenship issue, Captain Singh said, “Know Subramanian Swamy for last 31 years, have zero respect for his opinions, he just wants headlines.”
"CM Badal still takes pride in having burnt the Constitution during the Khalistan movement, don't need nationalism lessons from Akalis," he added.
His reaction came after Sukhbir Singh Badal took a delegation of Akali Dal leaders to President Pranab Mukherjee earlier today and later held a press conference in the national capital.
A delegation of Punjab Congress leaders led by party vice-president had also submitted a memorandum to the President urging him to initiate a judicial probe into the killing of two persons in recent protests over alleged desecration of Guru Granth Sahib.
However, rejecting to the CBI probe ordered by the Punjab government, the Congress leaders demanded an inquiry to be conducted by a sitting Judge of the Supreme Court.
