AMRITSAR: The Akali Dal (B) president Mr Parkash Singh Badal said it would be a blunder on the part of the militants to scuttle the election process in Punjab.
The militants he emphatically said must understand that an elected government was a thousand times better than President’s rule It was unfortunate to create hurdles in the path of elections in the state groaning under central rule for the past five years.
Mr Badal was speaking to newsmen after attending the cremation of slain party leader Dalbir Singh Ranike who was shot dead by unidentified militants in the Tam Taran area Mr Ranike was the party’s candidate for the Atari assembly constituency.
The killings of candidates he observed were clearly aimed at sabotaging the polls in the state such tendency would lead us nowhere.
Conceding that the murder of three important Dal (B) candidates had dealt a severe blow to the party Mr Badal asserted that the party would continue its fight in a democratic manner and would the fight the coming elections come what may.
Mr Badal said the government’s claims of providing adequate security to the candidates had proved hollow. Official security was not at all sufficient he lamented. The politics of violence in Punjab the Dal chief held was a direct outcome of confrontationist and repressive attitude of the successive central governments towards the genuine aspirations of the people of the state. When certain just problems were not solved in a democratic way the anger of a section of the Sikhs had manifested itself in the form of militancy.
Senior leader Sukhjinder Singh interjected to say that the present chaotic situation in Punjab had made everyone vulnerable to the violence. But the militant’s method of scuttling the elections was wrong.
Asked why the Dal (B) candidates were becoming targets of the militants Mr Badal evaded a direct reply and said that as a party of traditional and time-tested leaders whom the people want to come to power we are targets. Only our party can deliver the goods in the present circumstances he claimed.
Mr Sukhjinder Singh criticized the Central Government and the Election Commissioner for making contradictory statements on the holding of the Punjab polls. The uncertainty about the polls was creating a security risk for the candidates.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 7, 1991
