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Chandigarh: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab State Media Incharge Baltej Pannu on Friday strongly criticized Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal’s announcement of starting “Dharma Yudh Morcha”, saying that the Akali Dal has once again exposed its politics of deception, because this much talked about movement now seems to be ending quietly.

Baltej Pannu’s big claim   

At a press conference, AAP Punjab media in-charge Baltej Pannu said, “About a month ago, Sukhbir Singh Badal had announced in a very dramatic manner that after offering ardas at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the Akali Dal would launch a Dharam Yudh Morcha on July 19. But, with only two days left, the party has neither made any preparations nor announced any programme.”

He further said, “People who have grown up eating pizza and Coke are now talking about starting a religious war, without understanding what such a historic movement means. Leaders who have actually participated in such movements know how much ground preparation, gathering of people and commitment is required before making such an announcement.”

Baltej Pannu said, “The Akali Dal has conveniently forgotten its promise. Even in the recent core committee meeting of the party, there was no discussion about the proposed Dharam Yudh Morcha. It seems they thought that even the people of Punjab would forget that they had made such a big announcement.”

He further said, “The proposed morcha was never a serious movement but was just another attempt to mislead the people and create an unnecessary political feud against Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.”

Baltej Pannu said, “The Akali Dal has a long history of misleading Punjabis. During its governments between 2007 and 2017, the party pushed Punjab into a drug crisis, allowed ‘chitta’ to spread across the state and ruined an entire generation of youth. This pattern of deception is even older. The Badal family has been misleading Punjabis since the 1990s. Prakash Singh Badal wrote ‘Truth ‘Commission’, but after forming the government, they forgot everything.”

Referring to the sacrilege incidents that took place in 2015, Baltej Pannu said, “How can the Akali Dal now claim to be fighting for justice, when all the major developments in this matter took place during their own government? The theft of Guru Sahib’s saroop took place during the Akali government itself.”

AAP Punjab media incharge said, “Subsequent sacrilege incidents also happened during his tenure. When Sangat demonstrated peacefully demanding justice in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, it was the Akali government that took police action. The Behbal Kalan firing incident also happened during the Badal government and during that time evidence to sacrilege cases was systematically destroyed.”

Baltej Pannu further said, “After the chargesheet was filed in 2020, Akali Dal leaders had taken bail in the case. Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was among those who got bail from the Faridkot court.”

Referring to the Faridkot court’s observations, Baltej Pannu said, “The judge recorded that Sukhbir Singh Badal, despite being aware of the third sacrilege incident that took place on October 12, 2015 and the growing anger in the Sikh community, deliberately left for Gurugram and later on to escape responsibility for the illegal police action by the then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. Made an excuse of absence. These comments expose the behavior of the Akali leadership, one of the darkest chapters. When the peaceful protestors were being fired upon, the Akali leadership was misleading the people.

Baltej Pannu also recalled the treatment meted out to those demanding justice in the last few years. He said, “After the Badal government came to power in 1996, a case was registered against Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalda, wife of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalda. Then after returning to power in 2007, the Akali government registered fresh cases against the Khalda family and activist Ranjit Singh. An international human rights organization also wrote a letter to the Badal government asking it to stop harassing the Khalda Committee. Was.”

Baltej Pannu said, “How strange that Sukhbir Badal is today talking about the seriousness of the sacrilege incidents of 2015, when it was his own government that failed to protect religious sentiments and allowed evidence to be destroyed instead of ensuring justice. If the Akali Dal has repeatedly claimed that the Dharam Yudh Morcha will start from July 19, then why has it not yet announced its programme, strategy or the names of those involved?” Who will lead the movement or make the first arrest?”

Baltej Pannu said, “Sukhbir Badal believes that he can keep misleading the people of Punjab through dramatic announcements and emotional slogans. The people of Punjab have understood his tricks. For all the years the Badal family has been in power, instead of working for the welfare of the people, they have focused on increasing their wealth and given their relatives to the cabinet.”