“Would consider myself fortunate to repay the debt of nearly a century of love and trust from the Punjabis”
Chandigarh /Bathinda January 12 – the Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash
Singh Badal said here today that he would gladly make the supreme
sacrifice for upholding the values of peace, human brotherhood and
love on the path shown to us by our great Gurus, saints, seers and
prophets. Should the interests of my state and its people so
require. ”
” I would consider myself fortunate to be able to repay the huge debt
of gratitude to the people of Punjab for almost a century of love and
trust reposed in me by them . I will not be swayed from the path
commitment to peace, communal ahrmony, love and unviersal
brotherhood,” said the Chief Minister on a day when he filed his
nomination papers for the Vidhan Sabha poll in the state due February 4.
The CM said that the SAD and the SAD-BJP government wil continue to
stand firmly to safeguard the values of peace and communal harmony in
the state. The rank and file of the SAD have been instructed not to be
provoked through deliberate incitements.
In a statement after filing his nomination papers for the Lambi
Vidhan Sabha election at Malout this morning, Mr Badal said, ” When
peace and communal harmony go up in flames, those inciting the people
to set the set initial spark are the first to run away and escape,
leaving the hapless peace loving common people to bear the brunt of
tragedy and pay the price for the dangerous games they play. In the
tragedy that follows, mothers lose their young and loving sons and
daughters, sisters lose their brothers, innocnet children are orphaned
and women’s honour is unsafe . Those responsible for this dreadful
magnitude of tragedy are nowhere to be found on the scene. In the case
of our state, they would have left Punjab leaving hapless Punjabis in
a trail of blood of their own kith and kin. We have been through such
gruesome times and have restored peace and communal harmony by making
countless sacrfices. Many homes and hearts are still desolate awaiting
the return of their dear and lost children . But those who incited
the tragedy are living luxurious lives elsewhere, many of them safely
enconsed in foreign lands while countless families pay for the evil
designs of these elements through their hearts’ blood here,” said
the Chief Minister.
Mr Badal also urged the peole of the state to be aware of the
dangers to their unique religious and historical heritage and legacy
and remain vigilant against non-Punjabi elements busy in hatching
anti-Punjab conspiracies
He said that yesterday’s incident seemed to have a two pronged
strategy. The first was to dilute and damage his image and sour the
profound and almost a century-old bonds between him and the people of
this state. “It is an unparalleled bond in which I have spent all my
life moving about in streets, lanes and by lanes of Punjab cities and
villages, visiting every home and meeting the common people of my
state to understand and address their problems.
But the even more dangerous dimension of he conspiracy appeared to
strike at the roots of the strong, unique and intense identity of our
people by plotting to render them leaderless and rudderless. The
enmies of our state are aware that Shiromani Akali Dal is the only
party which is Punjabi in flesh, blood and spirit and has lived and
grown with the people of the state here. The stakes of the SAD and
those of the Punjabis are identical. All the other main contesting
political parties are clearly not only non-Punjabi but are
instinctively anti-Punjab. They have put on a sweet masks merely to
befool the Punjabis. It’s a case of wolves in sheep’s clothing. If
their goal is achieved , people will see their real fangs which are
enemies of the very culture and ethose of Punjab. They pose a serious
challenge to the unique identity of Punjabis and even the honour of
our people will not be safe, as recent happenings in the Congress and
the AAP have demonstrated. These parties are instinctively full of
contempt for Punjabis and our culture.
Mr Badal said that the enemies of Punjab could not bend his spirit
despite unspeakable repression in which even the women and children
were subjected to public humiliation through a public display of their
personal belongings through the media. “But even this failed to break
my spirit to keep fighting for my state. What our enemies could not
achieve against us even with the help of tanks and mortars, they are
now trying to achieve by misleading a few of our children,
dividing our beloved homes against one another. Years and even decades
in dark cells had not broken the spirit of Punjabis like me. Now, our
enemies are hitting at our most sensitive spot. If one of our children
is carried away by their dangerous but sweet talk, it would surely
hurt the family called Punjab. And it hurts me But in the end, truth
will triumph. We accept the challenge,” said Mr Badal.
The Chief Minisster said that it was a grave irony that parties whose
governments ordered tanks and mortars int the Goden Temple and
massacred thousands of innocents Sikhs were now preaching Sikh history
and ethos to us . The blind army assault not only caused grievous
damage to Sri Akal Takhat Sahib but also desecrated many Sarups
of the Holiest of the Holy Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Many sacred sarups
were put to flames mercilessly.
Same is the case with those who likened the sacred Sri Guru
Granth Sahib to their petty party manifesto and putpictures of
Jhaadoo on the sacred image of Sri Harmandar Sahib.
The Chief Mnister said that the nefarious designs of these danerous
enemies of Punjab will one day be fully exposed and Truth alone shall
prevail.