Sukhbir Badal lacks moral authority to question others on Bargari sacrilege: Congress MP Randhawa

Congress Gurdaspur MP and former cabinet minister Sukhjinder Randhawa on Saturday said Sukhbir Singh Badal had no moral authority to raise questions on Bargari sacrilege incident after accepting “guilt” before Akal Takht.

The SAD president had yesterday dared the Congress to name its leaders “who shielded" the perpetrators of 2015 sacrilege cases.

Randhawa said it was both astonishing and hypocritical that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal continued to make hollow claims and point fingers regarding the culprits of the Bargari sacrilege incident of 2015, when he himself had “admitted his guilt and accepted responsibility for the grave misdoings” during his tenure as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab.

“Having submitted to the judgment of Akal Takht Sahib, and undergone religious punishment for his role in the sacrilege cases, including facilitating the controversial pardon of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Sukhbir Badal has no moral ground to lecture others on this sensitive issue. His public apology and the religious penalties imposed on him, including cleaning duties at Sri Darbar Sahib, stand as undeniable proof of his complicity in undermining Sikh sentiments and failing to deliver justice in the sacrilege cases,” said the MP.

Former Deputy CM Randhawa said Sukhbir Badal’s recent attempts to shift blame and demand accountability from others were nothing but a desperate ploy to salvage his dwindling political relevance.

“The Sikh community and the people of Punjab have not forgotten the failures of the SAD-BJP government (2007-2017), during which the sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji at Bargari sparked widespread outrage. The Akal Takht has already held Sukhbir Badal accountable for his role in pardoning Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a 2007 blasphemy case and for the mishandling of the 2015 sacrilege incidents, which led to unrest and the tragic loss of lives in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan. His acceptance of these charges and the subsequent punishment, including bearing placard of guilt, standing as darbaan, cleaning utensils and serving langar at the Golden Temple, expose his lack of credibility to now question others about the same issue,” he said.

Punjab