Amarinder asks Akalis to clarify stand on NRC

Slamming the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for their double standards on the issue of NRC and CAA, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday asked the party to clarify their stand on support to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of which they allies in the Central government.

The SAD had supported the ruling NDA's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Parliament, but had since come out with conflicting statements on the legislation, as well as the National Register of Citizens (NRC), he said, lambasting the Akalis for misleading the people on these sensitive issues.

In a reaction in the wake of the recent statements of SAD President Sukhbir Badal and Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral, seeking inclusion of Muslims in the CAA, the Chief Minister said it was patently obvious that the Akalis were playing a double game in the matter.

It was clear, he said, that the SAD leaders had decided to backtrack on their earlier stand in view of the public protests and backlash triggered by the CAA and the NRC.

This was not the first time the Akalis had shown such dual standards with regard to their relations with the BJP, said Amarinder Singh, pointing to the SAD's support to Om Prakash Chautala's INLD in the Haryana assembly elections even while continuing to be a part of the NDA.

In fact, even while siding with the INLD in Haryana, the SAD had allied with BJP in Punjab, where by-elections were being held at the same time in a couple of constituencies, he added.

It was time the SAD clarified their stand on their alliance with the NDA, said Amarinder Singh, adding that the people wanted to know whether the Akalis favoured BJP's divisive and hardline ideology on key issues, including those that affect the Indian constitutional principles and values.IANS