Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Spokesperson Ranbir Singh Dhindsa on Friday tore into Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chief Sukhbir Singh Badal over his repeated failure to appear before the SIT (Special Investigation Team) in connection with the beadbi (sacrilege), Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing cases, saying that the Akali Dal-BJP nexus now stands completely exposed. The AAP Punjab Spokesperson said that Sukhbir Badal, who had admitted responsibility before Sri Akal Takht Sahib, cannot now evade the SIT or escape accountability for the Kotkapura firing, particularly when Faridkot court records and his own writ petition show that, as former Home Minister, he was in a five-star hotel and in continuous contact with senior police officials during the incident.
Ranbir Singh Dhindsa said Badal’s attempts to avoid appearing before the SIT while compromising Punjab’s interests to secure protection in the beadbi cases expose the real face of the Akali Dal-BJP nexus.
Addressing a press conference on Friday along with Mora Singh Anjaan and Ripandeep Singh, AAP Punjab Spokesperson Ranbir Singh Dhindsa raised two direct questions before Sukhbir Badal and the entire leadership of the Akali Dal. “I want to ask whether worldly courts are more important to you or our supreme Sri Akal Takht Sahib? Sri Akal Takht Sahib, established by our Guru Sahib, is far more sacred and supreme than worldly courts, and every Sikh and Punjabi holds immense faith and respect for it,” he said.
The AAP Punjab Spokesperson stated that when Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib had summoned Sukhbir Badal, “he had accepted there that he was responsible for the Beadbis and the firing on the peaceful congregation that was reciting ardas and Gurbani. His entire Cabinet had undergone punishment according to Sikh maryada.”
“If you came before the highest court of the Guru, admitted your guilt, then how can you now refuse to speak the truth before the SIT? Where has your devotion to the Guru and your Panthic stand gone?” he asked.
Raising his second major question, Ranbir Singh Dhindsa stated that while serving as Home Minister, Sukhbir Badal had claimed that he was abroad on the day of the firing incident. “Whereas, according to the records of the Faridkot court and his own writ petition, he was sitting in a five-star hotel that night and remained in continuous contact with senior police officials,” he said.
“When the conversation continued throughout the night while he was the Home Minister, then who bears responsibility for it?” Ranbir Singh Dhindsa asked.
“This is the nexus between the Akali Dal and the BJP, which has completely exposed their anti-Punjab, anti-Panth and anti-Sikh faces,” he said.
Ranbir Singh Dhindsa further revealed that the main reason behind Sukhbir Badal’s failure to appear before the SIT today was “the deal being worked out with the big rulers in Delhi (BJP).” “He has received backing from Delhi that there is no need for him to appear and that ‘we will save you from the Beadbi cases.’ In return for this protection, Sukhbir Badal has compromised Punjab’s interests and agreed to support the BJP on black farm laws,” he said.
He said that the alliance that was broken for show in 2020 had, in reality, never broken. “Whether it was voting for the BJP candidate in the presidential elections or giving the vote of their lone MP to get a Bill passed in Parliament, the Akali Dal has always stood with the BJP,” he said.
“Where have their conditions regarding MSP, farm laws or Sikh issues gone today? Today, the only thing that matters to them is how to escape the allegations and punishment in the Beadbi cases,” Ranbir Singh Dhindsa said.
Ranbir Singh Dhindsa appealed to all Punjabis to remain alert to this conspiracy. “To save themselves and their families, the Akali Dal leadership first destroyed the entire party and is now selling Punjab’s interests into the hands of the BJP. Every Punjabi must ask the Badals these questions and expose their anti-Punjab politics once again,” he said.