The Hindu : Badal demands Amarinder's resignation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 12, 2002

National

National

Badal demands Amarinder's resignation

By Our Staff Correspondent

AMRITSAR NOV. 11. The Shiromani Akali Dal president, Parkash Singh Badal, today demanded the resignation of the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, whom he accused of being responsible for unnecessary tensions created on the eve of the annual elections of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). He said the situation was a fit case to place the State under President's rule.

Talking to The Hindu after reaching the Circuit House, Mr. Badal appeared confident and relaxed. He sounded elated after having succeeded in reaching his loyalist members to the Golden Temple complex.

Mr. Badal also appeared confident at the performance of his scion, Sukhbir Singh, who managed the transport of all the members from the family's farm house in Balasar in Sirsa district of neighbouring Haryana. The accompanying youths who are being referred to as ``Sukhbir Brigade'' or ``kakaji's platoon'' are expected to stand guard, on the Badal camp members.

Mr. Sukhbir had also donned the role of an Akali Jathedar. He is being groomed well for a future responsibility.

Mr. Badal attacked the Chief Minister, fully realising that after having raised the stakes and the tensions in the elections, it would be relatively tougher for the State Government to proceed against him and his former ministerial colleagues who face serious corruption charges.

Mr. Badal said that by imposing Statewide restrictions under section 144 of the Cr.P.C., the Chief Minister had directly accepted that the law and order situation had gone out of hand. He said that Capt. Amarinder Singh had no right to stay in power and argued that the State should be put under Governor's rule. He charged that if Mr. Amarinder Singh was allowed to stay in power, the situation in the state would become unredeemable.

The Akali chief said that despite the gravest provocations, the Akali workers would remain peaceful and denied having attempted to provoke a blood bath. He said that the ruling Congress was helping the rival Akali faction to overcome numerical minority through misuse of official machinery and police set up.

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