LUDHIANA, Punjab (February 25, 2014)—BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, while addressing the Jagraon rally, on Sunday, did not mention anything about the 1984 Sikh genocide, greater devolution of central funds, or special package for the border state. This occurred irrespective of the demands raised by Sukhbir Badal and Punjab CM Parkash Badal at the rally.
To woo Sikh voters, Congress was held directly responsible for the Sikh genocide by the Akali Dal leaders. Akalis demanded that once the NDA comes to power, fast-track courts should be set up to try those accused in the massacre, and to re-investigate cases where perpetrators of the “genocide” had been let off.
Modi chose not to respond to these demands. Instead, he tried to woo the people by declaring that Sikh farmers in Kutch would not be displaced. Modi, and BJP president Rajnath Singh, projected the NDA as the real representative of the farming community. “These Sikhs have as much right over Gujarat as I have, and they will never be displaced from their fields. We owe them for cultivating fields on dry, and arid Kutch land. Any officer found harassing these farmers will have to go,” Modi declared.
Taking notice of the statement, Punjab Pradesh Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa said that BJP prime ministerial candidate had not promised to withdraw the Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the stay granted by the Gujarat High Court to Sikh farmers.
“Why did Modi not announce that his government will withdraw the SLP? His assurances that Punjabi farmers in Gujarat will not be evicted are hollow,” he said.
Bajwa said it was shameful that Chief Minister Parkash Badal had been unable to convince Modi to withdraw the SLP. “Unless the SLP is withdrawn, all talk of protection to Sikh farmers settled in Kutch is meaningless,” he said.
He added that the grim reality was that the minorities in Gujarat were being targeted, be it the Muslims, Christians, or Sikhs.