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Mann threatens to stage anti-Sonia demonstrations

The Akali Dal (Amritsar) has threatened to stage demonstrations during Congress president Sonia Gandhi's proposed visit to Punjab early next month.

Disclosing this in Amritsar yesterday, the party's president, Simranjit Singh Mann, said the decision was taken in view of Gandhi's refusal to tender a public apology for Operation Bluestar.

He, however, did not disclose any details of the proposed demonstrations.

Operation Bluestar was an army operation in 1984 to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. Sonia Gandhi's mother-in-law, Indira Gandhi, was prime minister then.

Sonia is expected to visit the Golden Temple on October 4, which is also the foundation day of Amritsar.

Mann said his party's lone legislator in the Punjab assembly, Ajit Singh Mofar, would table a resolution in the winter session condemning the army operation of June 1984. "I do not understand why the ruling Akali Dal (Badal) has not brought forth such a resolution," he said.

UNI

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