Amarinder dubs Harsimrat 'habitual liar' over Jallianwala Bagh massacre remark

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday termed Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal a "habitual liar" over her remarks that one of his close relatives had lauded the role of General Dyer in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Earlier in the day, Badal had claimed in the Lok Sabha that Singh's relative had described the action of Dyer, who had ordered British Indian troops to open fire at a crowd of people holding a pro-independence demonstration in Jallianwala Bagh, as "correct".

"She is a habitual liar," a release quoted Singh as saying at a Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting here.

During a debate on the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2019, in the Lok Sabha, Badal, claimed that one of Singh's ancestors had written to General Dyer after the massacre in Amritsar, saying his action was "correct and the Governor General approved (of) it".

The Union food processing minister also alleged that members of the Congress were involved in the 1984 Sikh riots.

One of them is currently a chief minister, she added.

Hitting out at the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, the chief minister questioned her great grandfather Sunder Singh Majithia's lavish dinner for General Dyer for the barbaric Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Singh called upon Congress MLAs to aggressively counter the false propaganda being spread by the Akalis to mislead the people.

During the CLP meeting convened to discuss the floor strategy for the ongoing Monsoon Session of Punjab Assembly, the chief minister also urged the party legislators to aggressively counter the Opposition in the House.

Given the "huge amount" of work done by the government, the party MLAs need not be on the defensive in the House, Singh said.

He cited his government's work to tackle the drug problem in the state and to bring the culprits in the Bargari sacrilege case to book.

Singh claimed there was a marked improvement in law and order in the state since his government came to power.

Most gangsters have been eliminated and the blanket of fear that shrouded the people during the rule of the erstwhile SAD-BJP government has disappeared, he said.