Hindus, Sikhs living miserable life in Pak: BJP MP

Former Punjab BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna today said that Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan were living a "miserable life".

While speaking to mediapersons in Kapurthala, Khanna, who recently visited Pakistan and met a number of Hindu and Sikh families there, said many of them were trying to settle in India.

He said the Hindus he met complained that they face problems even during cremation of bodies.

The BJP leader said he had brought to the notice of the ministry of external affairs "the miserable condition of minorities in Pakistan", in response to which the MEA sent him a letter two days ago saying the Pakistan Government had assured that they would look into the matter and redress the problems of the minority communities.

Asked about the expulsion of former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal from the Shiromani Akali Dal, Khanna said, "Party is supreme. There is no future outside the party".

Denying that the base of the BJP in Punjab had been eroded during the Akali Dal regime, Khanna said the BJP vote bank was "intact" and described the alliance with the SAD as "a holy alliance (made) for the welfare of Punjabiat and Punjab."

Khanna blamed the Centre for alleged non-lifting of paddy in the mandis to defame the SAD-BJP alliance rule when, he said, Punjab was contributing 30% of paddy and 40% of wheat to the central pool.