‘Referendum 2020’ had no takers in Punjab : Manish Tiwari

With a US-based advocacy group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) set to hold pro-Khalistan event ‘Referendum 2020’ at Trafalgar Square in London on 12 August, senior Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday said there were no takers for the same in Punjab.

Speaking to reporters at Ludhiana, the former Union minister said the ‘Referendum 2020’ had no takers in Punjab, rather anywhere across the world.

He said, it was a desperate bid by some people who wanted to stay in circulation for one reason or the other. Tewari said, the horrible memories of the dark decade of terrorism were too fresh in Punjabis’ memories to be forgotten and they will not let anybody to fiddle with peace in Punjab.

Replying to a question whether the ‘Referendum 2020’ was being supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the former Ludhiana member of Parliament said, ISI has been trying to stoke trouble in India right since Pakistan‘s defeat in the 1971 war and it has never given up since.

On the issue of forming a united opposition alliance for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he said that the Congress party was in favour of a broad-based alliance of like-minded secular and progressive forces to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led National Democratic Alliance. He expressed confidence that the alliance will fructify in the form of state level seat adjustments across India.