Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Chief Spokesperson MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal launched a scathing attack on Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleging that the Badal family has consistently sided with those responsible for the injustices committed against Punjab and the Sikh community. Referring to the statement made by Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of the late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, Dhaliwal said that she has revealed that Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote a letter to the Central Government seeking a ban on the Punjabi film Satluj.
"If this is true, nothing can be more shameful. This exposes the Badal family's real face before the Sikh community and the people of Punjab," he said. Dhaliwal said the film is based on one of the darkest chapters in Punjab's history and highlights the atrocities committed during the Congress regime, including fake encounters, enforced disappearances and the struggle of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who dedicated his life to exposing these human rights violations before being martyred himself.
"The Congress committed these atrocities, the BJP government is now preventing this truth from reaching the people, and the Badal family is helping them suppress it. This clearly shows that all three have worked together whenever it came to hiding the truth about Punjab," he alleged.
He said repeated attempts were made to stop the film's release by forcing its makers to change its title multiple times before allegedly preventing its release altogether. "You can delay the truth, but you cannot erase history. The sacrifices of Punjab and the pain of thousands of families cannot be buried forever," he said.
Dhaliwal further alleged that the Badal family has always protected those accused of committing excesses against Sikh youth. He said that officers accused of fake encounters were rewarded with promotions and influential positions during the Akali Dal government instead of being held accountable.
Referring to incidents of sacrilege and police firing during the Akali government, Dhaliwal alleged that the Badal family has repeatedly betrayed the sentiments of the Sikh panth for political power. "Those who claim to be protectors of Sikh interests have repeatedly acted against the interests of Punjab and the Sikh community whenever it suited their politics," he said.
Appealing to Punjabis and Sikhs across the world, Dhaliwal said no government or political party can suppress historical truth forever. "The truth about the atrocities committed in Punjab will continue to come before the people in one form or another. Every attempt to silence it will only strengthen the demand for justice," he said.
He urged the people of Punjab to reject what he described as the "politics of deception" practised by the Badal family and to stand firmly with truth, justice and the collective memory of Punjab's painful history.