Aam Aadmi Party leader and New Delhi chief minister made his presence felt in Punjab, as he spoke out against the recent outbreak of violence over the desecration of the Sikh holy book. He called on the SAD-led state government to take responsibility for the situation, even as he visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar to pray for the "return of peace", and the family of the those affected by the violence in Faridkot.
"What happened was very wrong. The government should catch those responsible for desecrating the Guru Granth Sahib," he told the press.
Surrounded by supporters and local residents, Kejriwal sat with and spoke to the families of those hurt in the violence that followed the desecration, and of the two who died in the ensuing police firing.
"Since the government could not catch those who committed this act, the unrest spread in different parts of Punjab and people protested. In Faridkot too, people were protesting peacefully. The boy who died had only come to give langar to the protesters when he was shot, " said Kejriwal. "Even though there is a rule that in a protest, if the police needs to fire, they will only aim at the feet."
At the Golden temple, though he reportedly refused to answer too many questions from the media, Kejriwal again brought up government responsibility, and said that "false cases" must not be slapped on those participating in the protests.
Then, he went inside with all other devotees, shunning the VIP entrance, as is his wont.
"The Golden Temple has great spiritual power and I prayed before the Almighty for early peace and normalcy to get rid of current turmoil in Punjab," he said after praying.
This visit assumes great significance given AAP's national ambitions. It is Kejriwal's first since he came to power in Delhi, and Punjab is widely thought to be the other bastion of strength for the party. It is also next on their electoral agenda, with the Assembly polls looming ahead in 2017. AAP has already started work on the ground, strengthening and overhauling its state unit, something which recently caused some inner turmoil in the party.
All four of AAP's MPs are from Punjab, however, it recently suspended two, Dharamvir Gandhi and Harinder Singh Khalsa, for "anti party activities".
