The Hindu : Punjab CM under fire

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

National

National

Punjab CM under fire

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI NOV. 11. The Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, today came under fire following the entry of police inside the Golden Temple complex, with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) demanding his resignation and the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, directing him to refrain from meddling in the elections of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC).

With reports of Amritsar being converted into a ``police cantonment'' ahead of tomorrow's SGPC polls, the Union Minister and SAD leader, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, today led a National Democratic Alliance team to the city along with 98-SGPC members by a chartered flight from here.

The NDA team consisted of the Union Labour Minister, Sahib Singh Verma, MPs, P.C. Thomas (IFDP), Beatrix D'Souza (Samata Party), Anita Arya (BJP) and Zora Singh Mann (SAD).

Mindful of the adverse impact of the police entry into the Golden Temple, the Congress leadership moved with alacrity to try to undo the damage. Ms. Gandhi's political secretary and CWC member, Ambika Soni, said the Congress president had "directed'' the Punjab Chief Minister to ensure that no untoward incident happened, which could directly or indirectly hurt the religious sentiments of any community''.Ms Gandhi's intervention came amid reports of the current SGPC elections assuming the dimensions of an Amarinder versus Badal battle, and of the unprecedented security arrangements made by the State Government, ostensibly to ensure a smooth conduct of elections.

The Congress sought to set itself apart from the battle for the control of the SGPC between the rival Akali factions. "We have never participated in these elections and never will; the question of supporting one or the other of the factions is unthinkable,'' Ms. Soni said. The reference is to reports of support being extended to the Gurcharan Singh Tohra faction.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dhindsa, along with 98 members of the SGPC and the former Union Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, charged Amarinder Singh with targeting the SAD, supporting their rival, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and interfering in the SGPC elections. They demanded that he step down for sending the police into the Golden Temple complex.

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