CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal (Badal) president, Parkash Singh Badal, recently demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister, P.Y. Narasimha Rao, and fresh elections in the country.
Addressing a news conference here, the former chief minister said, that Rao had no moral authority to rule the country, in the wake of virtual indictment of his government in the sugar scam report, He said, that the resignations of the members of the council of ministers was not enough as it was the collective responsibility of the country.
Badal said that another reason for demanding midterm poll was the defeat of the Congress party in the recent Assembly elections. He said that the Congress party must seek a fresh mandate from the people.
The Akali Dal (Badal) chief lashed out against his adversary, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and echoed the charges leveled against him by a senior Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader, Randhir Singh Cheema, who had held Tohra responsible for the Operation.
Bluestar. He reiterated, that the forthcoming elections to the General House of the SGPC would decide, as to which faction of the Akalis constituted the Akali mainstream.
Badal said, that at his last meeting with the Akal Takht acting Jathedar, Manjit Singh, it was agreed upon that the people’s mandate would determine as to which Akali faction enjoyed the support of the masses. Already, this support had been reflected in the Assembly bye elections and Panchayat samiti and zila Parishad elections.
He clarified, that he had always held Akal Takht in the highest esteem.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 6, 1995
