Supremely cool, confident Badal meets SIT
Supremely cool, confident Badal meets SIT
Former Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal today told the so-called SIT formed by the Congress Punjab in the state that even though “everyone knows that the SIT’s report will be written by Captain Amarinder Singh yet , as a law abiding citizen of the country, he (Mr Badal) would fully cooperate with it.”
Also Read: Capt Amarinder pays homage to WWI soldiers, including Indians, at Gallipoli’s Helles and Turkish memorials
Mr Badal described the SIT as “ a political tool of the Congress government in the state” and was meant only to give shape to the ruling party’s thirst for political vendetta against the former CM and his family and colleagues. He said that the government in the state had nothing to show for its performance in the past two years. Therefore, it wanted to keep the people’s attention occupied with “diversionary tactics such as the SIT. Instead of tackling farmers’ suicides, the drug issue, the failure to give jobs or increase pensions and shagun scehme amounts or give jobs to the youth , plots and houses to the homeless or meeting the teachers demands, the Congress government wanted the people’s attention to remain focused only on non-governance issues.”
“The issue before the people today is to choose between those who delivered and served Punjab with sincerity and took the state to unprecedented levels of development , on the one hand, and the forces of negative and anti people agenda on the other , who have let the people down badly in the past two years. The choice also is between those who are committed to peace and communal harmony on the one hand and those who are pushing the state back into the dangerous era of hatred, bloodshed and darkness on the other. The SIT is a mere ploy in the hands of the latter , ” said Mr Badal.
Later, Mr Badal’s Advisor on National Affairs and Media said Mr Harcharan Bains said that Mr Badal met the SIT in connection with the incidents at Kot Kapura in 2015and that it had nothing to with Bargari incidents as was being wrongly claimed by some and reported erroneously by a section of the press today.
Supremely cool, confident Badal meets SIT Mr Badal, who looked supremely relaxed and confident, came out of his flat to the main gate of his official residential flat in sector 4 to personally welcome the SIT members. But he was surprised to find that only one member, Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, had turned up for the exercise. Mr Badal extended even him a warm and cordial welcome but asked him he if could bring the Chairman of the SIT, Mr Pramod Kumar , on the phone line. When Kunwar VP Singh connected Mr Badal to Mr Kumar , the former CM requested him to come personally for the questioning by the SIT. Initially, Mr Kumar expressed hesitancy in coming over personally. At this Mr Badal emphatically pointed out that the case had immense sensitivity and that it was surprising that the government was treating it with such casual attitude. “ Is it because the exercise is a mere formality and that the report of the SIT had already been written elsewhere?” He urged Mr Kumar “ to find time to come over personally for the questioning as the SIT had gone to the unprecedented limits of making a five time Chief Minister a witness in a case under 307 IPC."
Also Read: Arrest those who published Class 12 history book which contains derogatory references to the Sikh Gurus: SAD
Mr Badal offered to go personally to his office “or wherever it is convenient to you, in case you are too busy to come.’ Mr Badal pointed out that on the one hand the government wanted the people to believe in the sincerity of and seriousness of the SIT exercise, while on the other, the issue was being treated as a “mere ritual”, with just one member turning up to question the five- time Chief Even the Chairman of the Team did not deem it necessary to come personally even though he was in town.”
At this, Mr Pramod Kumar replied that he would “come personally within ten minutes.”
Mr Badal joined investigations as Mr Kumar arrived. Finding the members visibly tense and uncomfortable during the investigation process, Mr Badal at one point asked them “ relax and feel comfortable. I know your limitations and I know that you are not going write your report.”
MR Badal also pointed out that the report of Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh Commission on the basis of whose report the SIT had been formed had not indicted him or the then Deputy Chief Minister of anything at all.
Addressing media persons after the Team’s visit , Mr Badal said that the team asked him several questions from here and there ( Edhar Odhar de svaal puchh ke chale gaye.”) To a question if the SIT asked him “irrelevant and stray questions,” Mr Badal replied in the affirmative but added that he replied to all the questions directed at him. Mr Badal observed that in his view, the members of the SIT “were fully satisfied” with his answers. He however added that they had nothing “substantial or relevant to ask.”
-PTC NEWS
