SWORD GIFT TO CM RAISES BJP HACKLES

LUCKNOW: Leader of BJP legislature party Suresh Khanna objected to the gifting of a sword to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav by prison minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia in a programme organised recently. A person must have a licence to keep a sword, or else action would be taken against him under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Khanna said in the state assembly on Tuesday.

The SP MLAs objected to Khanna’s statement and said the Sikh community gifted a sword to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Rajnath Singh too. Before questioning the CM, Khanna should find out if the PM and the HM had valid licence or not, they said.

Ramoowalia said the Sikh community had a 500-year-old old tradition of keeping swords. Even the USA administration had permitted Sikhs to keep a sword, he argued.

Khanna replied, “I am aware of the tradition but the state government should bring an amendment in the law so that a person can keep a sword without a licence.”

At this, Ramoowalia said, “I rang up religious heads in Amritsar to know the facts about gifting of the sword. The ceremony is organised to honour a person and no one should be offended by the tradition of a community, he said. At this, the SP MLAs said Khanna should apologise for hurting the sentiments of the Sikh community. Khanna said, “I respect Sikhs.”