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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
Union Minister for Chemical and Fertilizers Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Sunday described the actions of the Amarinder Singh government in Punjab in the run-up to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee elections as "dictatorial."
SGPC is the supreme Sikh religious body, which controls Gurudwaras in India.
Speaking to rediff.com in New Delhi, Dhindsa said the Punjab chief minister has ordered the arrest of several thousands of Akali workers just days before the SGPC election, scheduled for November 12.
"Look at the manner in which he has been acting. He has become desperate to dislodge Prakash Singh Badal from the SGPC," he said.
He questioned the Amritsar district administration's action in getting houses and hotels cleared within 500 meters of the GoldenTemple Complex. "Is Amarinder planning another operation Blue Star?" Dhindsa asked.
On Monday, Badal's supporters will parade 106 SGPC members before the media at a news conference in New Delhi before they are flown in a chartered plane to Amritsar for the polling.
Dhindsa laughed at a non-bailable warrant issued against Bibi Jagir Kaur, a former SGPC president, by a Kapurthala court on the ground that she had been using illegal electricity connections at her house.
"This is totally unheard off. You charge someone with the theft of electricity and then get a non-bailable warrant issued against that person. Bibi Jagir Kaur is a prominent member of the Akali Dal. This clearly shows that the captain would go to any length to grab power and rule the SGPC by proxy. He wants to promote Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra by disqualifying pro-Badal SGPC members," Dhindsa said.
Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar Iqbal Singh said the security around the Golden Temple is a precautionary measure. He, however, admitted that the situation in Amritsar is tense.
Both Badal and Tohra groups have so far not named their candidates for the presidentship of the SGPC. Though Tohra has denied he is a candidate, close aides of the former SGPC chief said he is very much in the contention.
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