Punjab rural development minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa today alleged that the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib was part of a nefarious design engineered by then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to shatter composite culture of the state.Addressing a series of political conferences here on Monday in support of Congress candidate Sunil Jakhar, Bajwa said the inference could be drawn from sequence of events and the inaction by the Badal government. The facts would come out in the probe currently on.He questioned Badal as to why no senior officer, what to talk of he himself, did not visit Burj Jawaharsinghwala after the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib was reported missing from the gurdwara in on June 1, 2015. He said it was for the first time in history that the Bir of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen that had never happened even during the period when the Sikhs were fighting for their very survival in the face of worst repression let loose by the then rulers.He said posters appeared in nearby Bargari village on September 24 in abusive language challenging the Sikhs to find out Guru Granth Sahib claimed to be hidden in that very village. Still the Badal government did not act. He questioned as to why the government did not order search of the village.
Clearly, it was the case of complicity with the perpetrators of the crime.The pages of that BIr were subsequently found scattered in the streets of Bargari on October 12. While the Badal government did nothing during this entire period, no time was lost in opening fire on Sikhs protesting peacefully against this heinous crime in which two persons were killed.He said these were the questions that Badals must answer.He alleged it was a deeper conspiracy orchestrated by them as part of their electoral strategy. This was further evident from the fact that the 3-member SIT constituted by the Badal did not hold even a single meeting till the change in government.Bajwa asserted that while Badals tried to sabotage amity and peace in Punjab, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had now taken the step to cement it with the announcement that state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar could be the next chief minister. He said going by the prevalent narrative, only a Sikh has been the chief minister since 1966.He said it was a bold announcement that had the potential to shape up future political dynamics of this border state that is the land of the Gurus, saints and seers.He urged the people to reject the BJP and divisive brand of politics being practiced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.