Come clean on denigrating Sikhism charges: Amarinder to

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh today asked AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on Sucha Singh Chhotepur's allegation that he "scornfully denigrated Sikh religion" in the controversy over party symbol superimposed on the Golden Temple in its youth manifesto.
Chhotepur, who was removed as AAP's Punjab convener in the wake of allegations that he took bribe from a ticket aspirant, had yesterday said Kejriwal asked him whether he has not seen the manifesto before it was printed.
"I told Kejriwal I have not," Chhotepur had said, adding Kejriwal took objection to it and told him that he should have simply maintained that he had seen it.

"I told Kejriwal that I am a Sikh and this would have lead to my ex communication from the community," he had said.
"He (Kejriwal) even asked him (Chhotepur) as how did it matter if he was excommunicated by the Akal Takhat (supreme temporal body of the Sikhs)," Amarinder claimed.
He also accused the Delhi Chief Minister of double standards claiming, Kejriwal did not react to AAP leader Pavitar Singh's allegation that Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak demanded Rs 50 lakh for an assembly ticket to his wife.

"But the AAP convener took no time to malign Chhotepur just because he had accepted donation from a party volunteer," the Congress leader claimed.

"Why not apply same yardstick on Sanjay Singh and Durgesh Pathak who have been accused on record by one of your own founding members of seeking bribe?" he asked, adding "Or is it simply because you apply one set of rules on the Punjabi leaders and another on non-Punjabis."
Amarinder also claimed in a statement that he had "conclusive proof" that non-Punjabi leaders like Singh and Pathak were using scornful and derogatory language against Sikh leaders.
Alleging that Kejriwal has also been "heard poking fun at Punjabi and Sikh leaders" and there was grave resentment among the local cadres, Amarinder claimed he will release the evidence in due course of time.

He also alleged that Parivartan, the NGO Kejriwal ran while during his stint in Indian Revenue Service, along with Sisodia was funded by Ford Foundation, which was "supported by the CIA".
Demanding a probe by the Centre, the Congress leader asked how could Kejriwal run an NGO while in government service and that too, whose funding was very suspicious.
"Besides, the way you tried to destabilize the governments by resorting to unwarranted protests and dharnas, even while being the Chief Minister only vindicate and validate the widespread perception and the purpose for which you took money from the Ford Foundation", Amarinder alleged.