HOSHIARPUR: Punjab Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal has welcomed tabling of a petition in the Australian parliament which has sought recognition of violence against Sikhs in 1984 as ‘genocide’. Talking to media persons here on Saturday, Badal said it was “good” that the issue of carnage of Sikhs had come up in the Australian parliament.
“It is a welcome move. It shows how the international community feels about the organized mass killings of the Sikhs”, he remarked. He said it was unfortunate that the successive Indian governments led by the Congress had been side tracking the issue.
The chief minister expressed concern for the families of the riot victims but when asked why he had not joined the prayer meeting held in Darbar Sahib Amritsar by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in the memory of the victims he merely said that it was SGPC’s show and not his party’s.
Responding to another query, Badal said he would not be holding any political talks with the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper who is coming to on November 7. “The Canadian PM would be coming to Anandpur Sahib to pay obeisance at Sri Keshgarh Sahib and visit the Virasat-e Khalsa memorial. His is purely a religious visit”, he said. He, however, remarked that if the Centre gave due share of funds, Punjab could be turned in to Canada.
Criticizing the UPA government for its “biased” stance against the state, he said it was not possible to achieve results in development unless there was a regular flow of money. “Congress has always remained prejudiced to Punjab”, he alleged He predicted landslide win for the BJP in Himachal Pardesh.
News Source: Punjab Online
