Punjab Election 2017: Badal plays the ‘communal peace’ card

Highlighting that communal harmony will be a major issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal alleged that both Congress and AAP have been trying to disrupt the peace in the state. Stressing on the importance of upcoming elections, Badal said, it is a decisive fight which will determine Punjab’s future. “Ek paase aman-shanti, te duje passé, paado te raaj karo, te fer etthe wahi din le aao, jadon Punjab ne bahot bda dukh jheleya si. (On one side are people who will maintain peace and order, on the other side there are people who will ‘divide and rule’ and push Punjab into a tragedy like before),” said Badal referring to Operation Blue Star and 1984 riots.

The ruling coalition of SAD-BJP is trying hard to bolster its sagging image for alleged mishandling of law and order in the state after tensions flared due to the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib last year in October.

The state had remained on tenterhooks for several months after the incident and opposition parties had been raising the issue ahead of the elections. Both AAP and Congress had made the issue a major poll plank.

However, apprehensive of the dent in its ‘panthic’ vote bank based on the resentment among people due to the incident, SAD-BJP is now pitching for communal harmony.

Congress’s policy in Punjab has been to divide Hindu-Sikh brothers, he said.