Attempts to create communal rift between communities will be dealt with iron hand: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who paid homage at Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday during Shaheedi Sabha, stressed that his government will not tolerate any attempt to create a rift between communities and will deal with an iron hand if anyone tries to disturb the state’s secular fabric.

“Sikh religion propagates communal harmony, which nobody will be allowed to disturb,” Singh said during a brief media interaction, adding attempts were being made by the Akalis to spread communal hatred by fanning the flames of 1984 riots. “Vandalisation of a statue of Rajiv Gandhi in Ludhiana was part of SAD’s petty politics to disrupt the harmony between communities,” he said.

Referring to the attempts made by the Akalis to drag the Gandhi family into the 1984 Sikh riots case, the Chief Minister said Rajiv Gandhi was not even there when the violence erupted. In fact, Sukhbir Singh Badal was studying in the United States and Bikram Singh Majithia was studying somewhere in state or Patiala at the time of the riots and were not even in the know of the developments, which they were now trying to exploit in the name of religion to gain political mileage, he added.

“It was evident that the Akalis were indulging in petty politics and trying to disrupt the harmony between communities,” said the Chief Minister, adding that he would not allow anyone to indulge in such politics of hate.

In an informal interaction with media persons on the second day of the three-day Shaheedi Jor Mel here on Thursday morning, the Chief Minister said the Sikh religion propagated communal harmony, which nobody would be allowed to disturb.

Recalling the supreme sacrifice of 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singhji’s youngest sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh, and his mother, Mata Gujri, Captain Amarinder Singh said the peace for which they laid their lives would be sustained at all costs.

The Chief Minister, who earlier paid obeisance at the historic Gurdwara and later partook the langar, expressed happiness that no political conference was taking place during the Mel, which was not an occasion for such rallies.

“The lakhs of people who had congregated for the Shaheedji Jor Mel had come here not to listen to political speeches but to pay their respects to Guru Gobind Singh ji’s martyred sons, whose sacrifice could never be forgotten,” said the Chief Minister.

“The sale of any material, which could pose threat to the security and peace of the state, must not be allowed. The state police and the security agencies should take note of it as efforts were made to destabilize the peace of the state,” former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Assembly Bir Davinder Singh reiterated.