Congress dares Badals to respond to Navjot Singh Sidhu's criticism

AMRITSAR: Describing as "truthful and courageous" the allegations levelled by BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu against the Punjab government, Congress today said the chief minister should give clarification on the issue.

The state Congress dared Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Singh Badal to respond to Sidhu's charges, in which he has alleged that his constituency was being neglected by the Akali Dal government.

Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira said, "If they fail to respond, all charges of Sidhu would be presumed to be true, for which the Badals owe an apology to him as well as people of Punjab."

"Stinging remarks of Sidhu that the Badal government wilfully ignored development of Amritsar and diverted funds to other cities indicate the Akali Dal's scant respect for Amritsar, which is known as the Mecca of Sikhs," he said.

It is shameful for the Badals that they could not spare a meagre sum of Rs 4 crore for installation of CCTV cameras for security of lakhs of devotees who throng Amritsar.

He also rejected the argument put forward by the Chief Minister that the issues raised by Sidhu were internal matter of the BJP.