The Shiromani Akali Dal said here that Captain Amarinder Singh never wanted to contest from Amritsar because he knew he would have to face the angry barrage of questions over the fraud he played with the Sikh masses through his brief political drama of resigning from the Congress over the army assault into Sach Khand Sri Darbar Sahib.The SAD also described the entry of “the reluctant Amarinder” into poll fray at Amritsar as “ a case of a caged circus-tiger forcibly thrown in front of hostile crowds. He wanted to run away and has been brought back in chains,” said the SAD General Secretary Mr. Balwinder Singh Bhunder in a statement from the party headquarters here this afternoon. “Amarinder Singh had openly confessed that he would not be able to do justice to the people of Amritsar even if he were selected as a candidate. This confession alone is enough to show that people of Amritsar could not expect anything from him,” said the Akali leader.
“Forget Amritsar, Amrinder Singh is not available even to the people of Patiala,” said Mr. Bhunder. “Captain Singh had himself endorsed the army assault by ordering police into the Golden temple when he was the Chief Minister in 2003. Everyone remembers how he turned the Golden City into Khaki by packing it with police and finally marching the force in full police uniform with shoes into the Holy Harmandar Sahib parikarama. No one has forgotten or forgiven the shocking images of the police attack on Darbar Sahib merely to prevent a free and fair elections to the SGPC executive,” said the SAD General Secretary.
Bhunder further said that Captain Singh was guilty of playing a massive fraud with the Sikh community over the army assault on our holiest shrine. He was one of the most trusted and key advisors of Mrs. Indira Gandhi when the Operation Blue star was planned. There is credible evidence to prove that he was consulted on the army assault and he advised her in its favour. It was only because of a deal to finish Akalis that Amaridner was first made to resign from the Congress and subsequently rewarded not only with a re-entry but also with the Chief Ministership in the Congress Govt in Punjab. ” said the Akali leader.
“ Amarinder not only rejoined the Congress party but even the choice of his friends showed just how insensitive he was to the issue of army assault on Darbar Sahib. His closest political friend all along has been S. Surjit Singh Barnala, who is himself guilty of ordering police into the Golden Temple at the behest of Rajiv Gandhi and Arun Nehru. Barnala and Amaridner were together in their assault on the SAD, particularly Sardar Parkash Singh Badal when Amarinder was the Chief Minister of Punjab. Now again their friendship has come out in the open. “Why are you seen always in the company of those who attack Sri Harmandar Sahib?” asked the Akali leader.