Chandigarh: The execution of Balwant Singh
Rajoana, a co-accused in the killing of former Punjab chief
minister Beant Singh in 1995, is taking political connotations
in the state even as top leadership of main parties SAD and
Congress treaded cautiously on the issue here on Monday.
Before the commencement of the first session of the
assembly, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was circumspect
while replying to media querries on the issue.
"The crime has not taken place in Punjab. It happened in
the Union Territory, so any decision on execution of Rajoana
will have to be taken by the UT," Badal told reporters here
while refusing to make any further remark on the issue.
However, Ravneet Singh Bittu, a Congress MP from Anandpur
Sahib and grandson of late Beant Singh, said Punjab government
should immediately make its stand clear on the issue.
"Rajoana had never sought pardon...however, there is no
question of giving him relief," he said adding "I fail to
understand why Punjab government is confused on the issue."
Punjab Jails Minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur said "any
decision on the issue will be taken keeping in mind the law
and verdict of the court."
Punjab Congress chief and former chief minister Amarinder
Singh said "he is not clear on this legal issue and so he
will first go into its detail before making any statement."
Meanwhile, Gurbachan Singh, the head of Akal Takhat, the
highest temporal seat of Sikhs, had convened a meeting of top
five Sikh priests at Amritsar tomorrow to take any decision on
the issue.
PTI
