“The truth has won. Congress falsehood has been rejected”: Sukhbir

Chandigarh, September 15, 2018:

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the Punjab and Haryana high court had upheld the highest values of democracy by snuffing out Congress attempts to use repressive means as well as the bogey of violence to muzzle the voice of democracy by arbitrarily denying permission for the party’s Pol Khol rally at Faridkot.

Stating that the Congress did not realize the ghastly mistake even when it had been snubbed by the court once and filed a review petition, Mr Sukhbir Badal  said the fate of the review petition should be a lesson to the Congress party that no government could infringe upon the fundamental rights of its citizens to protest in a peaceful manner. “The truth has won. Congress falsehood has been rejected”.

Stating that the high court had rightly upheld the SAD’s right to democratic protest, the SAD President condemned the Congress party for playing into the hands of radical elements and raising the bogey of violence to deny permission for the rally. “The truth is that it is the Congress party which is instigating violence by actively encouraging radical elements to create a flash point. The SAD believes in peace and our workers will raise their voice against the ‘jabar’ (repression) let loose by the Congress in a peaceful manner. In case radical forces sitting in Bargari tried to instigate violence  the responsibility for the same will be that of the Congress party and chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh”.

Mr Badal said the fact of the matter was that the Congress party had become jittery after the huge response to the last few rallies conducted by the SAD. “Pradesh Congress president Sunil Jakhar claimed that people would not let allow Akalis to enter villages. Our party received a rousing welcome at Jakhar’s native village Panjkosi in Abohar and our Pol Khol rally at Abohar received an unprecedented response. All this unnerved the Congress party and it is because of this that the party then decided to use Emergency like measures like resorting to arbitrary bans to check the rising popularity of the SAD. We thank the high court for defeating these nefarious designs. The people of Punjab will also give a befitting reply to the Congress government tomorrow”.

The SAD president also warned the government that it should not play with fire by colluding with radical elements to showdown the SAD. “Peace has been won in Punjab after a very difficult struggle. The Congress is endangering this peace and also communal harmony in the State by giving a boost to radical forces. The SAD will stoutly fight this conspiracy tooth and nail along with the people of Punjab who don’t want the State to be pushed back into the dark era of terrorism”, he added