Badal resorting to radical agenda to divert attention: Cong

Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Amarinder Singh today alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, having failed on all fronts, is now trying to divert the people's attention by "resorting to radical agenda".
Realising that the ground had already slipped beneath his feet, Badal was now trying to push for "radical and extremist agenda" which has the dangerous potential to push Punjab back to the dark days, Singh said.
"Since you have proved to be a complete failure as a Chief Minister both in terms of economy and administration, you are back to your favourite game of resorting to the radical agenda and playing with people's emotions at the cost of peace in Punjab," Singh said, referring to Badal's statement to claim back the artefacts and manuscripts which went missing during the Operation Bluestar in 1984.

The former Chief Minister said Badal has been Chief Minister thrice since the Operation Bluestar and during this period there was an NDA government between 1998 and 2004 of which his party was a part.
"Why did he not raise the issue of the artefacts and manuscripts at that time and why only now?" he asked, adding that it is just because Badal wants to divert the public attention from his failures and hide behind the extremist agenda.
Badal had yesterday said that the state government was making persistent efforts with the Centre to bring back the books, rare manuscripts and other artifacts taken away by the Indian Army from Sikh Reference Library in Amritsar during the Operation Blue Star.

Singh, in a statement here, took a dig at Badal for accusing him of politicising the issue of the losses to the farmers. "Just because you are saying that I am politicising the losses to the farmers does not exonerate you of your failures to make timely arrangements for the procurement of wheat," the Congress leader said.
He said Badal cannot blame the nature for the losses suffered by farmers. "You are trying to mix up the two issues to wriggle yourself out," he said, adding that had the wheat lying in mandis been lifted on time it could have been saved from the damage it suffered due to the recent rains.