Captain: My stand on Army action has been unambiguous

Patiala, Punjab: Former CM Capt Amarinder Singh today said his stand on Operation Bluestar had been unambiguous since 1984 and that he did not need a certificate from the Akalis on it.

“I had strongly opposed Operation Bluestar then, I am opposing it now and will continue to oppose it in future unlike Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal who changes his stance as it suits him,” Amarinder Singh said in a statement. He was reacting to allegations by Akali leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhunder that he had advised then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on the military operation.

The former Chief Minister said he had not only resigned from the Congress in protest but had also quit as Member of Parliament.

He said he was involved in negotiations on Punjab from 1980 to January 1984 after which he had dissociated himself from the same.

Amarinder Singh asked Badal to explain to the people of Punjab as what had transpired between him and the Union Home Minister PV Narsimha Rao on March 28, 1984, and whether or not he had recommended military action in Amritsar as “he was dead scared of the rise of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.”

Accusing Badal of double standards, the senior Congress leader said on the one hand, Badal had recommended military action against Bhindranwale and on the other cultivated ties with Khalistan Commando Force led by Gurjant Singh Rajasthani as he feared for his life.

He said while Badal always attended the bhog of slain militants, he had never condemned the killing of innocent Hindus in Punjab.

SAD resolution

Chandigarh: The Shiromani Akali Dal has demanded an explanation from the Congress-led UPA regime on the advice and help sought by the Government of India on executing the “brutal” Army assault on the Golden Temple in June 1984. A resolution passed at the SAD core committee meeting described the UK disclosures as “shocking and highly condemnable”.

Source: The Tribune