Liquor ad row: Jakhar, Cheema trade charges

CHANDIGARH: Reacting to the recent telecast of “objectionable” advertisements on liquor in LED screens installed on the heritage street leading to the Golden Temple on June 9, Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said: “This is the heritage from the Akalis, who had given 15-year contracts for these screens in sheer haste and had failed to control ad content.”

“They (the Badals) are responsible for this contract. So why are they blaming us now?,” questioned Jakhar. “They had engaged in the entire transaction for commercial gains for themselves. They seemed to have been interested only in pushing up footfalls, without appreciating the fact that the place was a centre of pilgrimage for people from around the world and sanctity needed to be maintained at all costs,” he said.

Pointing at the measly ₹5 lakh per annum fee, Jakhar said there was clearly huge financial bungling in the contract. He sought an apology from the Akalis for hurting religious sentiments of the Sikhs.

Jakhar said no such attempt to demolish the religious institutions through sacrilegious attacks or any other means would be tolerated.The Congress government, which has ordered a fresh inquiry into all cases of sacrilege and desecration, is striving hard to rid the state of this disgraceful legacy, the Congress leader said.

NEVER GAVE ADVERTS DURING OUR TENURE, CLAIMS CHEEMA

Rejecting Jakhar’s allegations, Akali Dal spokesman Daljit Singh Cheema said instead of blaming the previous government, the Congress chief should have asked this question to his party’s government that why the violation of advertisement contract has taken place now?

“If our government had not followed agreement conditions, then similar advertisements would have been telecast on these LEDs during previous regime also,” he said.

“Instead of blame game, the Congress and the state government should admit with a larger heart that blunder has taken place due to their negligence,” Cheema said.