Capt Amarinder reminds Channi of capitulating before Badals to save brother

CHANDIGARH, November 23

Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today ridiculed the Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi for his frequent accusations that he had “connived with the Badals” and harmed Punjab interests, saying, actually it was other way round, as  Channi had connived with and capitulated before the Badals to save his brother in Ludhiana City Centre case.

“It is a classic case of pot calling the kettle black”, Capt Amarinder remarked, while adding, “It is not me, but Mr Channi, who had pledged his support and conscience to Badals to save his brother”.

Responding to Channi’s accusations, Capt Amarinder said, “Although I did not want to join issue with him (Channi), his frequent false accusations have forced me to reveal his capitulations before Sukhbir Singh Badal in 2007 to save his brother who was an accused along with me in the Ludhiana City Centre case”.

Capt Amarinder pointed out, he had put the Badals behind the bars in 2002 and in reprisal they had filed a false case against him, which he fought in the courts for 13 years, while Channi himself tried to buy peace with them to save his brother and pledged his support to them (Badals) in the Vidhan Sabha.

The former Chief Minister said, Channi, who at that time was an independent MLA, allied with the Badals to save his brother. “It is not me who had any understanding with Badals, but you who joined them to save your brother in the same case in which I was also an accused”, he told Channi, while telling him, those living in glass houses should not throw stones on others.

“Had I aligned with Badals and got some understanding with them, as you are accusing me of, I would not have faced the persecution for thirteen years”, he reminded the Chief Minister, while challenging him to deny that he did not capitulate before Sukhbir Badal and begged pardon for his brother.