Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal today said the incidents of sacrilege were deeply painful and said it was reprehensible that the Congress government had politicised this sensitive issue for the last four years even as he promised to ensure justice in the matter once the SAD formed the government in the State.The SAD President was here to inaugurate the 25 bed Covid Care centre established by party leader Ranjit Singh Gill here. Mr Gill disclosed that the air conditioned facility which was equipped with concentrators and was staffed by medical staff would offer free treatment to Covid patients.Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sukhbir Badal said the Congress party could not be trusted to deliver justice in the cases of sacrilege. He said when the cases of sacrilege occurred the SAD led government started investigation but the Congress as well as self styled leaders demanded the case be handed over to the CBI. “Upon coming to power the Congress took the case back from the CBI but failed to make any headway for four years”.Speaking about self styled organisations which were also doing politics on sacrilege, Mr Badal said “I want to ask persons like Baljit Singh Daduwal as to how he became President of the Haryana Gurdwara Committee.
Even now the BJP government has nominated members to the Haryana committee at the instance of Daduwal”.Speaking about the situation in Punjab, the SAD President said instead of fighting “Covid di ladai”, the government was fighting “Kursi ki ladai”. He said Punjabis were feeling helpless after chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh as well as his cabinet colleagues had either shuttered themselves or had trooped to Delhi. “If nothing else the Congress government should have ordered a cease fire during this period of crisis”. He also condemned the Congress government for failing to regulate private hospitals who were fleecing the people as well as failing to check black marketing of medicines. “The government failed to open Covid Centres at the block level and has even refused to purchase vaccines directly from the manufacturers to vaccinate the entire population in one go”.Speaking about the work being done by the SAD, Mr Badal said “we have tried to reach out to the poorest of the poor. We have started Oxygen Sewa with 325 concentrators in 35 constituencies.We have opened 15 Covid Centres and started ‘langar sewa’ in 35 constituencies”.Mr Badal also asked the chief minister to call ‘safai’ workers for talks immediately and regularise their services to end their ongoing strike. He said the erstwhile SAD government had started the process of regularising services of the ‘safai’ workers but this was stalled during Congress rule. He said the grievances of the workers should be addressed keeping in view the danger of an epidemic due to unhygienic conditions due to their strike.