Sukhbir visits Bluestar memorial

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 11

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today visited the controversial memorial dedicated to those killed during Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple complex.

The Akali Dal had earlier refrained from coming out in support of the memorial reportedly because its alliance partner was not in favour of it. Neither the CM nor his deputy ever visited the memorial since it was built in 2013 by Damdami Taksal, a Sikh seminary.

Even as a large number of SAD leaders are part and parcel of the SGPC and its decisions, they had distanced themselves from the memorial to avoid any controversy.

A plaque on the memorial mentions that it is a gurdwara built in memory of 14th head of Damdami Taksal Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and all “martyrs of the 1984 holocaust”.

Later lashing out at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Sukhbir held him responsible for hurting the Sikh sentiments by getting the “piau” at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib demolished. He equated the act with Operation Bluestar.

Sukhbir said Kejriwal, who intended to jump in the poll fray in Punjab, remained so insensitive towards the concern of Punjabis that his MLA Alka Lamba didn’t refrain from demolishing the century-old holy spot.

He, however, condemned the incident wherein a shoe was hurled at Kejriwal, saying it was not the way to lodge a protest.

Speaking at a gathering at Uggi village in Nakodar, where he had gone to distribute insurance cards among farmers, the Deputy CM termed both AAP and Congress as anti-Sikh, saying, “Just the way the Gandhi family and Indira Gandhi attacked Shri Harmandir Sahib with tanks, in a similar manner the Kejriwal government attacked Gurdwara Sis Ganj with bulldozers.”

On being asked why the SAD was holding protests against AAP, Sukhbir said, “If someone acts against our religion. Be it AAP or Congress, we will show our resentment.”

Taking a dig at AAP, he said, “On the one hand, Kejriwal made a U-turn on SYL, stating to the Supreme Court that SYL should be made and water should go to Haryana, whereas here he said Punjab can’t part with its waters. Can such a man be a well wisher for Punjab?”

Evoking SAD’s love for the state, Sukhbir said, “The SAD is Punjab’s ‘Maa and Hamdard’ (mother and well-wisher). Apne apne hi hunde hai.”

He demanded to link MSP of foodgrain with wholesale price index to save farmers from ongoing agrarian crisis.

Supporting the jewellers who have been on a protest since March 1, he said he would soon meet the Union Finance Minister to seek rollback of excise duty on gold jewellery.

(with inputs from Aparna Banerjee)