Dinkar Gupta's remarks on Kartarpur could have been avoided: Amarinder

Tribune News Service
Chandgarh, February 25

Speaking in the Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said that DGP Dinkar Gupta's remarks on the Kartarpur corridor "could have been avoided."

He also said that the corridor would not be allowed to shut down “at any cost” and that the Punjab government had left no stone unturned to make the corridor a "success".

Also read: Oppn guns for DGP, stalls House proceedings

Replying to the opposition demand to dismiss DGP Dinkar Gupta, over his purported statements on Kartarpur Sahib, the CM said the DGP had already apologised and the opposition was milking the issue for political capital.

Also read: Punjab DGP expresses 'regret' if his Kartarpur remarks have hurt people

“Everyone makes mistakes,” he said. 

Singh said everyone should understand security concerns of the country vis-à-vis a hostile neighbour.

MLAs stage walkout 

The CM defended Bharat Bhushan Ashu, his cabinet colleague, after a suspended DSP had alleged that he had harboured a group of terrorists in 1992.

“The TADA case being raked by the opposition against the Minister has already been closed,” he said.

When Singh said there was no need to discuss a “25-year-old closed TADA case”, AAP and SAD MLAs said they wanted to know why a 32-year-old case against Akali leader Virsa Singh Valtoha had been opened.

Also read: Amid Oppn tirade, DSP says Ashu backed militants 

Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa said: “Why did the Akali government, led by Parkash Singh Badal, not open Anshu’s case for 15 years?”

SAD and AAP MLAs then marched to the Well of the House, demanding pending cases Ashu be opened. They proceeded to stage a walkout after this.