Chandigarh: Senior Congress leader Pargat Singh on Tuesday questioned the Punjab govt’s intent and the persistent delay in delivering justice in the 2015 sacrilege cases. Recalling that the Congress made a firm promise to deliver justice upon coming to power in 2017, he said the party took concrete steps in that direction.Singh also demanded that both the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP clarify their positions on the sacrilege issue. “The BJP repeatedly defends the Dera chief—does that mean they don’t consider him guilty?” he asked. He further stated, “Instead of protesting against me, the Akali Dal should hold demonstrations outside the residence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, whose AAP govt has failed to deliver justice even after three and a half years. They should also protest outside Sukhbir Badal’s house, who continues to politicise the issue just to keep it unresolved.“Defending the Congress, Pargat Singh said the party took the matter seriously while in power. “The Congress govt constituted the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission and initiated an investigation. Rahul Gandhi personally visited Punjab and assured people that justice would be delivered. When progress slowed, the party replaced the chief minister and accelerated the SIT probe,” Pargat said.
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He alleged that after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power, the case files were suppressed. For over two and a half years, prosecution sanction was not granted against Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Despite repeated questions in the Vidhan Sabha, the govt remained silent. Not a single AAP MLA, out of 95, ever raised their voice on the issue, he said. He also alleged that cases against Dera followers were shifted outside Punjab under a conspiracy involving AAP — an allegation that, according to him, was publicly exposed by senior advocate HS Phoolka.Pargat Singh held that when former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh compromised with the Badal family and allowed the investigation to derail, a group of justice-seeking Congress MLAs approached the party high command and ensured a leadership change. He emphasised that the SIT probe gained momentum during Charanjit Singh Channi’s tenure. “In his 100-day term, Channi took decisive steps. The SIT interrogated the Dera chief at Sunaria Jail in Nov 2021, visited again in December, and filed a supplementary challan in the Faridkot court in January 2022. On March 2, 2022, the SIT visited Sunaria Jail once more,” he said.According to Pargat Singh, after the AAP govt took office in May 2022, the file seeking prosecution sanction against the dera chief was submitted to CM Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio. “I personally met him in Dec 2022 to follow up,” he said. “I have raised the issue three times in the Assembly, but no action was taken.”Pargat Singh also came down heavily on the Shiromani Akali Dal, saying, “Sukhbir Badal has never named the Dera chief even once because his priority is saving his Bathinda seat — not ensuring justice for Guru Sahib’s sacrilege.” He alleged that the 2015 investigations tried to falsely implicate Sikh youth. Blaming the BJP directly, Pargat said, “The BJP must clarify its stand. It has always worked against Punjab’s interests. Even Sukhbir Badal avoided calling the Dera chief guilty due to BJP’s influence.”He also questioned the silence of AAP leaders like Aman Arora, Harpal Cheema, and Kultar Singh Sandhwan. “These were the same people who once demanded justice within three months. Why is no AAP MLA speaking up for Guru Sahib’s justice now?” he asked. MSID: 122839329 413 |
