Chandigarh, 25 April:Mr. Tej Parkash Singh a Congress M.L.A. form Payal and a former Punjab Cabinet Minister and son of (Late) S. Beant Singh former Chief Minister. Punjab and S. Gurkirat Singh Secretary Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and a grand son of the former Chief Minister. Who was blown up by the terrorists by a bomb blast in front of the Punjab Civil Secretariat at Chandigarh in 1995 for his war against terrorism in the state, ridiculed the statement of senior Akali Leader and P.A.C. Member of SAD and former Punjab Cabinet Minister. Mr. Seaw Singh Sekhwan who has alleged that the former Chief Minister has links with the terrorists Speaking on behalf of the family of martyred chief minister. (Late ) S. Beant Singh, they said the SAD supreme and Punjab Chief Minister S. Parkash Singh Badal and the BJP high command should clarify their stand on the assertion of Mr. Sekhwan regarding the allegation leveled by Mr. Sekhwan against S. Beant Singh who in fact laid down his life for fighting against terrorists.
They questioned that where were Mr. Shekhwan and other SAD (Badal) leaders when Punjab was burning. They asserted that S. Beant Singh not only fought a concerte3d battle against terrorism while as President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and later as Chief Minister of Punjab but also sacrificed his life for establishing peace in the state and every Punjabi owes his / her gratitude to him for this. Had he any links with terrorists, he would have rather enjoyed his Chief Ministership rather than fighting a war against terrorism and sacrificing bis life and being killed at the hands of the militants. They asserted that the subsequent Chief Ministers and Ministers including S. Parkash Singh Badal and his present and previous cabinet colleagues including Mr. Sewa Singh Sekhwan owe their chief ministership and ministerial berths to the sacrifice of S. Beant Singh.
Mr. Tej Parkash Singh and Gurkirat Singh said that the family of the martyred chief minister would support any demand for any impartial inquiry which should probe into the alleged links of all politicians including those in SAD and members of SGPC. They asserted that it was in fact the SAD which used to attend the bhog ceremonies of the terrorists killed in police encounters whereas they never consoled the families of the victims of terrorism in Punjab and the BJP a partner in the SAD Government in Punajb owes a clarification for this to the people of Punjab. It was (Late) S. Beant Singh and his associates who always sympathized with the victims of terrorism consoled their families and attended their last rites without any fear of being killed by the terrorists and several of them including him in fact paid the price by loosing their lives at the hands of terrorists. The SAD leaders not only sympathized with the families of the killed terrorists but were so scared of them that they even boycotted the 1992 election in Punjab under the dictate of the extremists whereas Congress under the leadership of S. Beant Singh the then PPCC chief fought the elections bravely despite of a dictate from the terrorists to the voters and candidates against participating in the elections.
They said the terrorism started in Punjab in 1978 when Bhindrawale’s followers and Nirankaris clashed in Amritsar and it was the SAD and Janata Party Government in Punjab and the present chief ministe3r, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minister at that time. It was the SAD backed SGPC which has installed a photograph of (Late ) Mr. Bhindrawale in the Sih Museaum at Amritsar. The Congress former Chief Minister S. Beant singh., former Prime Ministe3r (Late) Smt. Indira Gandhi and (Late) Sh. Rajeev Gandhi sacrificed their lives for this cause. In fact, S. Beant Singh and Smt .Indira Gnadhi were martyred when under heavy security when they were Chief Minister and the Prime Minister respectively. Let Mr. Sekhwan or Mr. Balbir Punj, incharge of the Punjab BJP, name any SAD or BJP leader who was killed while being chief minister, prime minister or even a minister though some BJP leaders of the state as well as some of the leader of some Akali factions also sacrificed their lives in the fight against terrorism.