Zora Singh, Badal-appointed sacrilege panel head, joins AAP
‘SHOWS AAP’S POLITICAL BANKRUPTCY’
During our rallies, he (Justice Zora) will speak about the findings of his report on sacrilege, which the Akalis had suppressed.
BHAGWANT MANN,
Sangrur MP, AAP
CHANDIGARH : Justice Zora Singh (retd), who had headed a commission to probe sacrilege incidents in Punjab and submitted its report in July 2016, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in New Delhi on Monday.
In October 2015, the then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had constituted the commission.
With no one from the government coming to receive the report, when he went to submit it, he had handed over the report to a junior employee.
The AAP has taken his joining as an ace up its sleeve. “The report was never made public. Now, we will publicise the role of the Badals and the then Akalibjp government in the sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib and the subsequent killings of protesters in police firing,” said Bhagwant Mann, Sangrur AAP MP.
Garhshankar MLA Jai Kishan Rori has also returned to the party fold, leaving the group led by rebel leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
WILL SPEAK OUT ON REPORT: JUSTICE ZORA
Justice Zora said he took the decision to join the AAP after meeting its national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“Naturally, despite the matter (of sacrilege) pending in the (Punjab and Haryana) high court, if people ask me (about the report) I have to speak out,” he told HT.
“I am impressed with the policies and programmes of the AAP government in Delhi. The people of Punjab also want these facilities,” he added.
On whether he would contest the 2019 elections, he said, “The party will decide what role they want me to perform.”
Mann added that Kejriwal was scheduled to address a rally in Barnala on January 20, and later in Garhshankar and Amritsar. “In these rallies, justice ‘sahib’ will speak on how Badals were involved in the sacrilege and killings of protesters and how they suppressed the findings of his report,” Mann claimed.
“His disclosures will push the Badals to the margins,” said AAP’S leader of opposition in Punjab Harpal Singh Cheema, Rebel AAP leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira said that the induction of Justice Zora Singh into the party showed its political bankruptcy. “His joining the AAP is like adding a zero to zero,” said Khaira, adding that Badals had conveniently used justice Zora to shield police officers responsible for the killings of two Sikh men at Behbal Kalan.
“He was a dummy judge, who played to the Badals’ tunes for petty remuneration as the head of the justice Zora Commission. His
adding that if justice Zora showed willingness to contest elections, the party would consider him.
AAP MLA Aman Arora said, “The joining of justice Zora will findings were so irrelevant that neither the Badals nor Captain Amarinder Singh took any cognisance,” he added.
benefit the party immensely. He has an impeccable track record and the party needs such people who fought against the odds and spoke the truth.”