Congress Punjab Head Sunil Jakhar

Punishing the culprits of ‘sacrilege’ and police firing cases in Punjab is the “rajdharma and the moral duty” of the Congress government and “action on this is already late and should have been done yesterday, not today or tomorrow,” Punjab Congress President Sunil Jakhar said.

Speaking to News18 over the phone, Jakhar said Navjot Singh Sidhu should toe the line of the party and had a “privileged position” unlike an ordinary member of the party since he was brought in by the High Command and speaks directly to them.

“So it becomes more incumbent on Sidhu to stay within the bounds of what is good for the party, and the larger good of the party has to take precedence over his own personal disagreements,” Jakhar said, two days after a committee set up by the Congress met a battery of leaders from Punjab, including CM Captain Amarinder Singh, Jakhar and Sidhu, among others.

Jakhar said the main issue that was causing anxiety among Congress ranks was that people of Punjab wanted the culprits guilty of ‘sacrilege’ and police firing cases of 2015 to be brought to the book. The High Court recently gave six months for the probe to be completed. “It is perception that matters.

“Prakash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal can keep denying their involvement in it but people perceive them to be involved. That issue needs to be addressed. If this issue is addressed, everything will fall in place,” Jakhar said.

He admitted that action on this count was already late. “I feel this (action) should have been done yesterday, not today or tomorrow. This should be done as soon as possible so that it is settled once and for all and the culprits are brought to book; then let the court decide what punishment they need. People are very sure of who the guilty are,” Jakhar told News18.

“This is an issue related to our moral duty and rajdharma and we cannot let this wound fester. To Punjabis, this issue is dear to their hearts. This is the people’s will and an emotional issue. Punjab has earlier suffered on such occasions when people were allowed to exploit this. It is our moral duty to address it. We have to bring it to a logical conclusion,” he said.

The Congress leader said if one asked the people of Punjab who are the culprits behind such sacrilegious incidents were, the majority of people would say it was Prakash Singh Badal and Akalis who hobnobbed with Dera Sacha Sauda and carried out the desecration.

“If you ask the people who the modern General Dyer was and who is the crocodile of Punjab, the answer will be Sukhbir Singh Badal who ordered police firing and Bikram Singh Majithia is the crocodile,” Jakhar alleged.

On Navjot Singh Sidhu raising the banner of revolt against the Chief Minister, Jakhar said Sidhu was very much an integral part of the party for over four years and should follow the norm of the party.

“I could have differences of opinion but the party has much larger standing than my personal opinion or beliefs. I somehow have to follow in line. He should toe the line of the party. He has direct access to the high command,” Jakhar said.

He added that unity in the party is the need of the hour. “People like (Congress Rajya Sabha MPs) Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo are looking for an opportunity in crisis to further their personal ambitions in the state politics. The party and high command should be wary of them,” Jakhar cautioned.

Bajwa in an interview with News18 had said the CM must ensure a charge-sheet against the Badals within a month or resign and give someone else a chance to do it.

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