Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab State Media In-charge Baltej Pannu on Friday launched a sharp attack on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleging that successive Badal-led governments failed to fulfil their promise of establishing a Truth Commission and instead repeatedly registered cases against Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra and members of the Khalra family whenever they returned to power.
Addressing a press conference, Pannu claimed that while the Akali Dal had earlier promised to set up a Truth Commission to investigate alleged human rights violations, the promise was never honoured after the party formed the government.
Instead, he alleged, cases were registered against the family of late human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra, particularly against his wife, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra.
According to Pannu, after the Akali Dal came to power in 1997, a case was registered against Bibi Khalra. He further alleged that after returning to power in 2007, the Badal government again initiated fresh cases against members of the Khalra family and activist Ranjit Singh.
He also claimed that an international human rights organisation had written to the then Punjab Government, urging it to stop the alleged harassment of the Khalra Committee.
‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’ Was Political Drama: Pannu
Pannu also questioned Sukhbir Badal over his announcement of launching a ‘Dharam Yudh Morcha’, alleging that the proposed agitation had turned out to be nothing more than a political stunt.
He said Sukhbir Badal had announced nearly a month ago that the Akali Dal would launch the agitation on July 19 after offering Ardas at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, but with the scheduled date approaching, the party had neither announced a programme nor initiated any preparations.
The AAP leader claimed that even during the recent meeting of the Akali Dal Core Committee, there was no discussion about the proposed agitation.
Pannu alleged that the announcement was made only to create political confrontation with the Punjab Government and mislead the people.
Questions Akali Dal’s Record
Referring to the 2015 sacrilege incidents, Pannu alleged that all major developments in the case occurred during the Akali Dal government.
He said the theft of the Guru Granth Sahib’s saroop, subsequent sacrilege incidents, the police firing at Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan, and the alleged destruction of evidence all took place when the Shiromani Akali Dal was in power.
He also referred to observations made by a Faridkot court in connection with the case, alleging that they raised questions regarding the conduct of the then Akali leadership during the period.
‘Focused on Wealth, Not Public Welfare’
Continuing his criticism, Pannu alleged that the Badal family had consistently prioritised expanding its political and business interests over public welfare.
He accused successive Akali Dal governments of standing against the interests of both the people and the Panth, while concentrating on accumulating wealth and promoting family members within the government.
Pannu maintained that the people of Punjab had now recognised what he described as repeated attempts by the Akali leadership to gain political mileage through announcements without meaningful follow-up.
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