Punjab Govt lacks political will on sacrilege issue: Navjot Singh Sidhu

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8

As Navjot Singh Sidhu stepped up pressure on the Channi government on the opening day of the special Vidhan Sabha session, saying the ruling dispensation lacked political will to take the cases of sacrilege and subsequent police firing to their logical conclusion, the party top leadership went into a huddle to mollify the enraged PCC chief.

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No headway yet

It’s been six months since the HC asked the state to complete the investigation into the Kotkapura firing incident of 2015. So far, nothing has happened. Navjot Singh Sidhu, PCC Chief

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By evening, a solution to the deepening crisis in the Punjab Congress seemed in sight after a closed-door meeting between Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Punjab affairs incharge Harish Chaudhary and Navjot Singh Sidhu at Punjab Raj Bhavan guesthouse.

Sources said the PCC chief had been assured Attorney General (AG) APS Deol was on his way out soon and the government was moving ahead on the subjects of his concern. He has reportedly been advised to control his frequent outbursts in the media.

During the meeting, minister Pargat Singh was also present. Sources said Chaudhary played a key role in bringing the two leaders on a common platform. “As the CM has already taken the resignation from the AG, the new replacement will be announced soon. Subsequently, Sidhu will resume work at the PCC office,” said a senior leader. During the meeting, DGP, Vigilance, Siddharth Chattopadhyaya was also called as Sidhu had been raking up the STF drug report.

As soon as the Assembly session ended, Sidhu took on his own government for not filing a special leave petition (SLP) against the blanket bail granted to ex-DGP Sumedh Singh Saini on September 10 in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing case. With the blanket bail to Saini as the prime accused in the case, the sacrilege case can’t move forward, he said.

On the STF’s drug trafficking report, Sidhu asked the government to make it public in the Assembly on November 11. Hitting out at certain ministers, Sidhu said: “Those who sought the removal of Capt Amarinder Singh from the post of CM over inaction in the drugs and sacrilege cases are sitting silent now.”