Sukhbir playing petty politics, spreading poison in Punjab: Chugh 

Chandigarh: BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh today lambasted Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal for spreading poison and igniting communal passions in Punjab in the garb of fighting farmers' cause.

Reacting to Badal's statement that the BJP had become a "tukade tukade" gang Chugh said the way Sukhbir, after parting ways with the BJP, was trying to create a divisive and disruptive narrative was strongly reprehensible.

"All Punjabis should wake up to the nefarious designs of Sukhbir Badal and his party", he said.

 Chugh said the BJP had always stood for Hindu-Sikh unity in Punjab and has tried to foster the brotherhood whenever there were strains of stress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken special care to address the Sikh issues, be it providing succour to the 1984 riot victims, or opening of the Kartarpur Corridor, or lifting a ban on foreign donations made to the Golden Temple, and many more like that.

Even during the times of militancy in Punjab, the BJP made sure that the Hindu-Sikh relations did not suffer and the spirit of Punjabiat was kept alive. Even at a time when silver spades were distributed for digging SYL and the copies of the nation's constitution were burnt, the BJP made sure that bad blood did not spread in the society.

The BJP has always kept the Punjabi spirit of Hindu-Sikh unity alive even during the times when massacre of Hindus was taking place in a planned manner. 

The BJP stands for the Punjabiyat and will always stand for it.

Now, when many singers are singing provocative and communally inciting songs why is Sukhbir Ji silent on them? he asked

On farmers’ front, Chugh said, the BJP was committed to doing everything for their welfare. The three farm bills are meant to double their income by 2022 because farmers had been reeling under heavy debts and have been taking to suicides in a big way. Sukhbir Badal is trying to play cheap politics by painting the BJP like that.  

Chugh clarified that the Modi government has accepted all the demands raised by farmer leaders during their talks with the Union ministers. The issues like the MSP, mandis and civil suits are all adequately resolved to the farmers' satisfaction. The Centre is still open to talks on various clauses in the bills. We hope that farmers would soon withdraw their protest.

And farmers have any doubts they are welcome for more talks with the Centre. We reassure farmers that the BJP would always protect their interests and work for empowering them, he added.

The BJP has been contesting elections since 1952. Even in 1992 when it contested without an alliance with any other party, it polled 16.7 per cent votes which made it win 23 Assembly seats. The BJP is a firmly rooted party in Punjab.

The BJP's base is in fact expanding because farmers who have been in distress understand that the three bills would help improve their plight. Ever since the farmers' agitation has started more than 3000 persons from other political parties have joined the BJP.  We are expanding our bases steadily to contest from all the 117 Assembly seats and come victorious after the elections and form the government in Punjab. /(December 16, 2020)