Amritar: Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder
Singh, who won a legal battle against his expulsion from the
state Assembly, was given a rousing reception in the city on
his arrival from Dubai today.
Amarinder, who was in the Gulf country last week when the
Supreme Court held as "unconstitutional" his expulsion from
Assembly in 2008 on alleged charges of corruption, said it was
a "memorable experience" in his 41 years of political carrier.
Earlier from Rajasansi airport, it was a road show as he
travelled in an open jeep with a sea of supporters. Banners
were hung on the road from airport to the Golden Temple and it
was a tough time for police to regulate traffic.
Terming Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal as a "dummy
CM", he alleged that the government was being run by deputy
chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is "inexperienced" to
handle various key issues.
"The Badal Government has miserably failed to curb the
activities of Naxal groups in Punjab. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh too had expressed concern over the latest developments
concerning Naxal groups in the state," he said.
The government failed to create basic infrastructure for
industry and erratic power supply has affected agriculture
growth, he said.
On Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC)
elections, he said Congress would support all anti-Badal
candidates, but would not field its nominees.
About 17 Punjabi youths on a death row in Dubai on the
charge of killing a Pakistani, Singh alleged, "The private
company (where they were employed) did not show any interest
to save them or get justice for them."
Later, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar objected to
facilitating Amarinder with Siropa (robe of honour) at the
Golden Temple.
However, SGPC member Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, one of the
two who offered Siropa to Singh said, "I understand that
Makkar had taken serious note of offering Siropa to Amarinder.
(But) There is nothing wrong in honouring Amarinder during his
visit to the Golden Temple."
Efforts to contact Makkar turned futile.
Sidhu said as per Sikhism, there was nothing wrong in
honouring any Sikh personality.
PTI
