Chandigarh: The attack on SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal at a gurdwara in Nanded drew condemnation from BJP and Congress leaders on Thursday, while SAD leaders accused the AAP govt and Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of politicising the incident.Senior BJP leader and national spokesperson R P Singh urged Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure a thorough and impartial probe. “Political differences and disagreements are a natural part of democracy, but resorting to violence can never be justified,” Singh said.Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon also condemned the attack, saying it was especially serious as it took place outside a gurdwara.Former Punjab deputy chief minister and Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa described the incident as “extremely unfortunate and condemnable” and said political or personal differences could not be allowed to turn into violence at religious places. “Turning any political or personal differences into violence is against Punjab’s peaceful and tolerant tradition,” he said.However, SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema accused AAP and Warring of trying to link the attack with anger over the 2015 sacrilege incidents and Behbal Kalan police firing. He alleged that AAP general secretary Baltej Pannu and Warring had tried to create such a narrative through their posts.“What kind of situation they want to create in Punjab? They must remember the dark days of 1991, when 26 SAD candidates were killed during campaigning ahead of the assembly elections, which were cancelled,” Cheema said.
