he desecration incidents are not an issue in Punjab during the Lok Sabha elections whereas Balakot is a huge issue, former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here on Friday.
In the city to address a rally in support of SAD-BJP’s Jalandhar candidate Charanit Singh Atwal, Badal said the Balakot strike was a huge feat pulled off by the Modi government, however, the sacrilege incidents were not an issue during these elections in Punjab.
Referring to the Nakodar killings of 1986 – Badal said, “eho jehe kand hunde rehnde hai” (such incidents keep on happening).
While the Shiromani Akali Dal has faced much flak over the sacrilege incidents and killings at Bargari and Behbal Kalan, responding to media queries on whether the desecration and firing incidents were an issue this election, Badal said, “Hun eh koi mudda nahi.” (This is not an issue now).
Talking to media persons after his address at Kartarpur, Badal said, “The Congress carried out desecration. It attacked the Harmandir Sahib. Isn’t the attack on the golden temple desecration? Isn’t demolishing the Akal Takht desecration? Asin tan koi kiti nahi (the Akali Dal didn’t do any desecration).”
On being asked about the 1986 Nakodar incident — wherein four Sikh youths were killed when they were protesting over the burning of five birs of the Guru Granth Sahib — Badal said, “Eho jehe kaand tan vekho maari gal hai. Par eho jehe kand hunde rehnde hai.” (See such incidents are bad but they keep on happening).
Speaking on the Balakot strikes carried out by the Modi government, he said “Eh bahut vadda mudda hai. Modi sahib ne kita Balakot. Kamaal di gal kitti. (This is a huge issue in the elections. Modi has pulled off a huge feat.)
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has previously compared Parkash Singh Badal to Nelson Mandela, Badal today said Modi’s rise to being the PM of the country could only be compared to the US’s 16th President Abraham Lincoln.