Chandigarh, September 21, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Mrs Harsimrat Kaur Badal today came down heavily against the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, accusing him of robbing the sacred Guru Ghar and showing flippant treatment of Sikh faith and ethics as is evident in his government’s “disgusting refusal” to honour its commitments to pay its share in the GST to the highest sacred place of Sikh religion, Shri Harmandar Sahib.
Reacting sharply to the mounting pendency of the amount which the government headed by Amarinder Singh owes to the supreme Sikh body, the SGPC, she said that this was in a sharp contrast to the ‘responsibility and gravity which the Government headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji addresses every issue of the Sikhs, including the government of India’s gesture to the Sikh community on the issues of reimbursing the GST on purchases made by the SGPC for Langar for the Sangat.”
As an example, Mrs Badal said that the centre has always released its share of the GST to the SGPC in this regard but the Amarinder government in Punjab is refusing to pay its share despite repeated assurances at the highest level. The pendency has now touched a whopping Rs 3.27 crores.
In a statement issued simultaneously from New Delhi and Chandigarh, the Union Minister who represents the Shiromani Akali Dal in the NDA government said, “It is a matter of great shame that after snatching people’s rights and backing out of every promise he had made before the elections, the Chief Minister is not sparing even the
Guru’s abode (Guru Ghar).
Amaridner claims to be a true Sikh, and yet he has no qualms about reneging on yet another promise he had made to the holy Shri Akal Takhat Sahib .The Punjab government had even issued a notification agreeing to pay up on its share of the GST to the SGPC but Amarinder has been consistently refusing both to honour his commitment and implement his own government’s notification.”
Mrs Badal said that Amarinder has no idea that Langar forms one of the centerpieces of the Sikh Guru Sahiban’s vision of seva, or service, especially of the poor and the needy. And he talks high on morals and values central to the Sikh heritage. Where is his self advertised concern for the Sikh maryada and tenets?” she asked.
Mrs Badal said that Captain Amarinder Singh had gotten into the habit of making tall promises when he needs to win the people’s votes as he did during the run up to the assembly and alter the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab.
But his track record since 2002 is a tale of betrayals of the people. Once he is elected and assumes office as Chief Minister, he not only backs out on all the promises made by him but even makes him totally unavailable and inaccessible. Not even his own senior colleagues can meet when urgent issues of the people cry out of the top executive’s attention. This is the way he always functions.
But I was hoping that he would not make himself unavailable and inaccessible to the Guru’s Abode (Guru Ghar) and even betray it. It is a shame that he has extended his usual irresponsible ways even to the sublime and religious arena,” said Mrs Badal in her statement.
