Amarinder slams Sukhbir for blaming him for Amritsar grenade attack

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Tuesday lashed out at SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for blaming him for Amritsar grenade attack and said his allegations were "totally unwarranted and politically motivated".

Singh accused the former deputy chief minister of "playing" with the religious sentiments of people for promoting vested interests.

The chief minister, in a statement, said the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief, in his desperate bid to "divert attention from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe against him in the Bargari sacrilege case, was resorting to cheap and petty politicking.

Badal on Monday had blamed Singh for the Amritsar grenade attack, accusing him of hobnobbing with Sikh radicals who were hell-bent upon fomenting trouble in the state.

Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu also slammed the former deputy chief minister for blaming Singh for the grenade attack in Amritsar and accused him of "playing politics over dead bodies".

There is no caste or religion of terrorism. Is it the time to stand united against terrorism or pointing fingers at somebody? Sidhu said during a press conference here.

Three persons were killed and over 20 injured when two motorcycle-borne men threw grenade in a prayer hall at the Nirankari Bhawan near Rajasansi on Sunday, an incident which police are treating as a "terrorist act".

Pointing out that the Bargari sacrilege incident was the creation of the Badals-led SAD, Singh said his government was trying to clean-up the mess and the SIT formed by it was investigating the matter thoroughly.

Singh also came down heavily on Sukhbir for targeting the Gandhi family and seeking to hold them responsible for the recent incidents involving terrorist forces in Punjab.

It was ridiculous to even contemplate that the Gandhis, who had been the worst victims of terrorism in the country, could think of promoting or encouraging radical forces in any way, said the chief minister.

The chief minister warned Badal against playing with fire by undermining the growing threat of revival of terrorism backed by cross-border forces.

"This was not the time for any political party or leader to play politics over the issue but to join hands with the government in fighting the menace and protecting Punjab from the renewed threat of revival of terrorism," he said.