Phagwara, July 08: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Parkash Singh Badal today alleged he was being persecuted at the behest of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. "It was she (Sonia) who was behind all what is going against me, my family and my party," he told reporters.

"Gandhi hates Punjab and the witch hunt is being done at her behest,” he alleged. Former chief minister said the sad had launched "oust Congress" campaign in Punjab.

On the corruption drive in the state, he asked the Chief Minister and vigilance bureau to treat the sacked forest minister Harbans Lal in the Congress regime in the same way in which "innocent Akali leaders had been treated".
"Though the Harbans Lal was indicted in the multi-crore rupee tree felling scam, the friendly VB sleuths won't treat him as they had treated our innocent leaders," he added.


Expressing shock at the shooting to death of 24-year-old taxi driver Gurpreet Singh allegedly by an American in California on July 3, Badal said that he would take up the issue of "growing incidence" of hate crime against Sikhs in the USA in wake of September 11 attacks with external affairs ministry.
"I will be writing to mea today itself," he said while agreeing that Union Government should take up the issue of security of Sikhs settled in America.

Bureau Report