The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday asked Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi to tell Punjabis why he had given his consent for the appointment of 1984 Sikh riots accused Jagdish Tytler as a permanent invitee to the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee.
In a statement, party spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Channi said the SAD was constrained to ask this question because an accusation to this effect had come from former Pradesh Congress president Sunil Jakhar.
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He said Jakhar had made it clear both Channi and senior Congress leader Ambika Soni, who was functioning as the de facto head of the Punjab Congress, had taken it upon them to advise the party high command including Rahul Gandhi on all affairs concerning the state.
Dr Cheema said even though the role of Jakhar’s family in the 1984 genocide was reprehensible, still, the accusations made by the latter should be addressed by the chief minister.
He said similarly Rahul Gandhi should also clarify as to why he had given a prestigious appointment to Jagdish Tytler, a person who had blood on his hands. Stating that such acts amounted to sprinkling salt on the festering wounds of the Sikh community, Dr Cheema also asked Channi and Soni to clarify why they had supported this move.
He said it was even more shocking that the chief minister had not objected to the appointment till now. “This proves that Channi does not have any moral courage and is even ready to sell off the interests of the Sikh community as well as Punjabis at large to save his chair. Punjabis will not forget this betrayal”, Dr Cheema added. A senior leader of Congress, Tytler has been facing accusations for the last three decades for his alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
