NEW DELHI: Opposition Congress I Wednesday accused Premier VP Singh and the federal home minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed of joining hands to go ahead with assembly elections in Punjab with “specific purpose of making Simranjit Singh Mann the next chief minister.”
A party spokesman, MJ Akbar, told reporters that the “concerted conspiracy” to make Mann the chief minister was going on despite the Akali Dal leader’s “blatant secessionist statements.”
Reacting to views reportedly expressed by Mufti Mohammed Sayeed that assembly elections in Punjab would have to be held by May, Akbar said, “this is nothing but a recipe for total disaster.”
He said that the government was “fiddling” with words when Punjab was heading towards total lawlessness.
Accusing the prime minister and home minister of continuing to hand out “character certificates” to Mann, Akbar faulted the premier of not condemning the misuse of religious places in the state nor taking any action to prevent it.
Akbar alleged that “politics of murder” has taken over in the state due to the fact that central government projected an image of “weakness and confusion”.
When asked whether he was demanding the resignations of the prime minister and the home minister, Akbar said he would personally be happy if they quit.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 2, 1990
