Punjab Congress slams Swamy for call to halt Kartarpur corridor

Subramanian Swamy delivers a speech during a journalists conference ahead of the Narad Jayanti in Amritsar on April 29, 2018. Pic/AFP

On Sunday, eight Punjab Congress legislators, comprising of two cabinet ministers hit out at BJP MP Subramanian Swamy over his remarks that the work on the Kartarpur corridor should be stopped in the interest of the nation. The Congress leaders slammed Swamy and said that his comments on the Kartarpur corridor had hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community.

While addressing a joint press statement, besides the legislators, Ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that the BJP-ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) must clear their stand on the issue. Entire Punjab, especially the Sikh circle knows it too well that the Badal family loves to cling to power rather than working for Sikh interests, the statement read.

The letter further states that the silence of the SAD on various issues, including the opposition to the corridor by a BJP leader, proves that proved that the SAD was in association with the BJP in this sin. The press statement also said that the calling off of the Kartarpur corridor was part of a deep-rooted conspiracy that Swamy gave this statement (on Saturday) in Chandigarh.

The legislators and ministers have asked the Punjab BJP leadership to clarify its position as to whether they are in agreement with the statement of their party leader or not. On Saturday, BJP leader Subramanian Swam said that the work on the Kartarpur corridor should be stopped in the interest of the nation.

Also Read: Kartarpur Corridor: Villagers express apprehension over losing their land

While clarifying the party's stand on the issue, state BJP President Shwait Malik told the media that this was Swamy's personal opinion. While Akali Dal's national spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa blamed Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for planting the seeds of doubt about the Kartarpur corridor. Sirsa took to twitter and wrote: It was always Congress which hurt the goodwill gesture done for Sikhs."

In his tweet, Sirsa, who is the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Committee President said that Sukhjinder Randhawa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu & other Congress leaders need to come clean on their stand on Kartarpur corridor. Last month, the Pakistan government agreed to allow visa-free, year-long travel to the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara for Indian passport holders and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders via the upcoming 4.2-km-long corridor. The Kartarpur corridor is scheduled to be opened by October 31.

Also Read: Pakistan slams India for rescheduling upcoming Kartarpur meeting

At present, devotees from the Indian side can pay obeisance by seeing the white-coloured Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara located in Pakistan through binoculars. Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting to the Pakistan Prime Minister said that Pakistan's doors are open to Indian Sikh pilgrims visiting Darbar Sahib Kartarpur on the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, irrespective of Islamabad's ties with New Delhi.

Firdous Ashiq Awan also rejected rumours surrounding the fact that Pakistan has stalled work on the Kartarpur corridor after straining of relations with India over the Indian government's move to revoke Article 370 in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

With inputs from IANS

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