NEW DELHI: “If the Punjab problem is to be solved, it is imperative to change the present Government at the Centre which has failed to live up to the expectations with which it has been voted to power,” said Mr khush want Singh here on Saturday.
Speaking at a talk organized at the Vithal Bhai Patel House, Khushwant Singh said that it was the duty of every Punjabi of con science to vote against the congress (I) which had kept Punjab burning for political ends.
Given the will, the Punjab problem was far from insolvable, he said. It was the Centre which had failed to provide justice to aggrieved Punjabis.
Mr Rajiv Gandhi still talked of abiding by the Longowal accord when each of its provisions had not been implemented. Instead of punishing those guilty of murdering innocents in 1984, the Congress (I) had rewarded three per sons found to have been involved in the riots with tickets in Delhi, he said.
If the elections resulted in Mr V.P. Singh coming to power at Delhi and Mr. Devi lal remaining Chief Minister in Haryana, the Punjab situation would be resolved in a week, Mr Khushwant Singh said.
Any change of government would be for the better. It was after much heart searching that he had decided to support Mr. LK. Advani’s candidature from New Delhi. This was so despite the fact that he did not agree with the BJP on many matters, he said.
While the killing of innocents was to be condemned in every way, it just wasn’t justice that other killers go scot free and in fact con test elections to the Lok Sabha. When disgruntled youths in Punjab ask of their leaders what sort of justice has been meted out to them, they get no answer.
This is how, Mr. Khushwant Singh said) militants were created. The single most important issue which would help Punjab was punishment of the killers of 1984.
The Congress (I) government has only played a transparent game of trying to foist leaders on Punjab. The sudden emergence of Jasbir Singh Rode some time ago as a leader in that state was an example.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 24, 1989
