Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh April 14 – Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia today questioned the “deafening silence of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on “the utterly untenable, immoral and unconstitutional presence of a murder convict” , Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Punjab Council of Ministers, and asked if they were totally insensitive to the pain and suffering of the family of a 60 year old man who lost his life as a victim of Sidhu’s rage.
“You organised a Midnight March ostensibly in support of justice for
the poor and innocent victims in the Kathua and Unnao cases. In both
these cases, the concerned authorities have acted against the accused
both legally and politically. The authorities did not wait even for a court verdict against the accused in these cases because of the prima facie nature of the cases. The Prime Minister himself made it clear that no one would be allowed to come in the way of the implementation of the rule of law. But in Punjab, you have a minister in your party’s government who has the legitimate legal tag of a murder convict with his name.”
Mr Majithia wanted to know if Rahul Gandhi, while demanding justice for Unnao and Kathua victims, saw no absurdity or hypocrisy in his refusal to demand similar justice for the helpless and innocent family which has been fighting for justice against Sidhu for over 30 years ? While demanding rule of the law in the country, do you feel comfortable with the presence of a murder convict in cabinet meetings of a Congress government? Or is it that Punjab simply does not figure on your conscience or your morality radar?” he asked. Do you feel comfortable presiding over a party which adorns and rewards murder convicts with the highest official and constitutional berths?” Mr Majithia said, firing a direct salvo at the AICC President.
The Akali leader also asked the Congress leader to “Walk your own Morality Talk” in Punjab. “ The question on everyone’s mind is whether your protest in Delhi was a Midnight March or a Midnight Mockery of Justice? If you were sincere in your demand for justice in Delhi, then Punjab beckons you, now, MS Sonia ji and Mr Rahul Gandhi,” said Mr Majithia
Quoting Rahul Gandhi verbatim, Mr Majithia reminded the Congress president of his words on the Unnao case in which he (Rahul) had regretted that “instead of ensuring justice, the victim’s family has been threatened and silenced by the accused. The father of the victim was beaten to death.” Mr Majithia said that if Rahul himself reads his own words now, he would find it hard to understand if he was speaking about Unnao or about Punjab and about Sidhu’s own conduct and the government follow-up up to now.
“ But, “ said the Akali leader, “the Congress party has earned a worldwide reputation for not only shielding murder convicts but also actually rewarding them with high cabinet berths in their party’s governments. “It seems like the repeat of the Rajiv era, and we are now looking at one more Jagdish Tytler or a Sajjan Kumar – this time in the Congress government in Punjab, the very state which is a blot on the conscience of the Congress party on the Delhi massacre of 1984? In that case, I have no more questions to ask from Sonia and Rahul any longer,” said Mr Majithia.
The Akali leader reiterated that the Punjab govt was shielding the murder convict by soft pedaling on the quantum of punishment sought against him and through all possible acts of legal omission in pursuing its own case in the Court. “The country wants to know from Rahul if the Congress High Command is also backing these moves to shield the murder convict, Sidhu through a fixed match.”
