Sukhbir Badal accuses Punjab CM of insulting Bhagat Singh

Chandigarh, April 8 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday urged people to boycott Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for 'insulting' freedom fighter Bhagat Singh by 'misusing' the martyr’s native village to hold a protest demanding the release of liquor scam accused and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“It is shocking that Bhagwant Mann, who used to swear by the name of the martyr, misused the Shaheed Bhagat Singh museum to hold a protest seeking the release of Arvind Kejriwal, who has been denied bail in the liquor scam case by the courts," the SAD President said.

Terming this as a reprehensible act, Badal, who was addressing a public meeting in Samrala, said, “Bhagwant Mann did not visit Khatkar Kalan even on the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh on March 23, and now he is misusing the site to seek relief for his boss Kejriwal."

Badal also condemned the AAP government in Punjab for 'misusing' the police to restrict the entry of farmers into their fields in Khatkar Kalan, besides restricting the movement of people in the village during the 'sham' protest which witnessed an attendance of a few hundred AAP workers.

Alleging that the Chief Minister has abrogated all his responsibilities, Badal said a woman was recently disrobed and paraded naked in Tarn Taran but the Chief Minister didn't have the time to visit the victim's family.

He also said that Bhagwant Mann seems to be content in holding farcical protests to seek the release of Kejriwal, even as Punjab slips into anarchy.

“The complete collapse of the law and order situation coupled with the heightened drug menace is tearing apart the society. Traders and industrialists, who face extortion calls daily, are fleeing the state resulting in a flight of capital worth Rs 20,000 crore,” he claimed.