SAD to set up board to address 1984 riot victims’ grievances, says Sukhbir Badal

Ludhiana, November 5

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president today said the next SAD-BSP government would form a ‘Riot Victims’ Welfare Board’ to address grievances of Sikh migrants now settled in Punjab after systematic targeting of Sikhs in 1984 anti-Sikh riot. He said the board would be given sufficient funds to settle all issues of the riot-affected families.

Badal was interacting with mediapersons after attending ‘bhog’ of the ‘path’ in memory of the 1984 riots victims at CRPF Colony here today. The SGPC president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, was also present on the occasion. Expressing his deep concern over denial of justice to riot-affected families, the SAD president announced that his party would move a resolution in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha session demanding action against the Gandhi family at whose behest the 1984 genocide was initiated as well as arrest of Jagdish Tytler and other Congressmen responsible for it.

Badal also asked Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as well as the Punjab Congress leadership to clear its stand on Tytler’s appointment to a top party panel. “They should tell Punjabis why they supported this appointment,” he added.

He also asked the Chief Minister to immediately reduce state VAT on petrol and diesel by Rs10 per litre each. While paying his respects to Lord Vishwakarma, Sukhbir Badal announced that the next SAD- BSP government would constitute Baba Vishwakarma Skill University to impart technical training to youth, which would help them gain employment in the industrial sector. Sukhbir also appointed Ludhiana-based industrialist Gurmeet Singh Kular as the SAD-B adviser on industrial affairs. — OC