Capt Amarinder raps Badal for ignoring intelligence alert on terror attack
Criticising Sukhbir Badal, who is also the state home minister, Capt Amarinder regretted that he (Badal) did not bother to cut short his visit and return home. "Any sensible and responsible person in his place would have rushed back the moment he learnt about the incident", he observed.
Former Chief Minister and Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Capt Amarinder Singh has slammed the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for the gross negligence by ignoring the intelligence alert sounded to him by the intelligence agencies about possible terror attack in Punjab about ten days ago.
At the same time he made it categorically clear that there was no doubt about the people and their patrons responsible for this attack, who had obviously come from across the border. "Our enemies will continue to conspire against us and it is our responsibility to remain alert and vigilant, which Badal chose not to be", he said.
He also criticised the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for not cutting short his foreign trip even after such a grave incident.Interacting with reporters during his visit to the family of late SP Baljeet Singh, who was martyred in operations at Deena Nagar on Wednesday, Capt Amarinder quoting National Security Adviser's revelations that Punjab government had been sounded ten days in advance about the possibility of terror strike in the state, remarked, "the government appears to have thrown the alert into dustbin and the consequences are before us".
Paying glowing tributes to the late SP Baljeet Singh, he said, the family had a tradition of valour and sacrifice as his father has also lost his life while fighting the militancy. He said, while nothing can compensate the great loss to the family, the government must provide the jobs to his children. The former Chief Minister ruled out the possibility of return of terrorism in Punjab saying, it was an isolated incident abetted from abroad. At the same time he cautioned Badal against playing the panthic agenda which is dangerous for Punjab. He said, such elements, who abetted yesterday's attack, can always exploit situations Badal is fond of creating by raking up panthic agenda for his personal and partisan interests.
He agreed that the alert was not specific. "The intelligence alerts may not be too specific, but what measures did they take after getting alerted?" he asked, while pointing out, there was no security beef up anywhere so much so the terrorists had a free run till they entered the Deena Nagar police station. Congratulating the Punjab Police for the successful operation, he paid glowing tributes to the martyrs included SP Baljeet Singh. "Punjab Police have a history and tradition of courage and valour and they displayed it at Deena Nagar on Monday paying with precious lives in the process", he remarked.
Criticising Sukhbir Badal, who is also the state home minister, Capt Amarinder regretted that he (Badal) did not bother to cut short his visit and return home. "Any sensible and responsible person in his place would have rushed back the moment he learnt about the incident", he observed.