Punjab CM accuses govt of ‘politicising’ Jallianwala tragedy

Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder on Sunday accused Union government of playing dirty politics saying that the Central government had deliberately chosen to hold a “parallel event” instead of supporting the initiatives and programmes of the state government on the occasion of hundred years of Jallianwala bagh massacre.

The event was organised in Amritsar on Saturday by the Centre and it was attended by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu.

In a statement chief minister said that he had personally approached the Prime Minister several times over the last two years to seek support for ensuring that the occasion is commemorated in a befitting manner but the Centre had failed to respond suitably.

“Instead, the Modi government decided to hold its own event, quite evidently to score political brownie points in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections,” he alleged.

“This was truly shocking considering that the Prime Minister is the chairman of the Jallianwala Bagh Trust,” Mr Singh said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the chief minister had on Saturday morning paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial in Amritsar.

On Saturday afternoon,  Mr Naidu visited Jallianwala Bagh and paid tributes to those killed in the massacre. The ceremony was organised by the Union ministry of culture.

Mr Singh claimed it did not befit a Prime Minister of the country to stoop so low in order to woo voters.

Later Chief Minister reacted to the speech of Prime Minister Modi where he attacked Amarinder Singh. In  a tweet Amarinder Singh said  “Shocked at your remarks in Kathua on Jallianwala Bagh @narendramodi Ji. You used a sombre occasion to play dirty politics, conveniently ignoring your own government’s decision to hold a parallel event instead of extending support to my govt, which we’d been requesting for 2 yrs,” Singh tweeted.

“Unlike the BJP, the Congress leadership does not believe in dictating terms to its state governments,” Singh said in his statement, countering Modi’s remark that he did not attend the Centre’s event under pressure from his party high command.

“These things happen in the BJP, which you, Mr Modi, are running in your typical dictatorial style,” he alleged.

Singh claimed it did not befit a prime minister of the country to stoop so low in order to woo voters and urged Modi to refrain from demeaning the high office.