Punjab AAP minister challenges new Congress chief over anti-sacrilege law
Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema has asked newly appointed Congress president Pargat Singh to state his position on the State’s anti-sacrilege legislation. Cheema also criticised Singh’s record in previous ministerial roles and questioned why he had not raised drug and sacrilege issues while associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema has challenged newly appointed State Congress president Pargat Singh to clarify whether he supports the anti-sacrilege bill passed by the Punjab Assembly. Cheema, speaking to the media on Saturday, also questioned why Singh had not raised the issues of drug abuse and sacrilege while he was associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal. Singh began his political career with the party before joining Congress.
Congress appointed Singh as its Punjab unit president on Friday after Amrinder Singh Raja Warring resigned. The change followed weeks of internal disagreements over State leadership ahead of assembly elections due early next year. Cheema said drugs and sacrilege had been major political issues during the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government, but alleged that Singh had not publicly raised them while he was part of the Akali Dal.
He said the people of Punjab deserved to know why the new Congress chief had remained silent on matters that affected the State. He also referred to Singh’s earlier statement that one faction of Congress supported the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Bill, 2026, while another did not. Cheema asked which faction Singh now represented.
The Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the anti-sacrilege law on April 13. The legislation provides for stricter punishment, including life imprisonment, for acts of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib. Cheema further criticised Singh’s performance as Sports and Education Minister in the previous Congress government.
He referred to the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors and librarians, saying the process was later set aside by the Supreme Court over the selection procedure. Cheema alleged that Singh had proceeded despite objections to routing the recruitment through the Punjab Public Service Commission. He also criticised the sports budget during Singh’s tenure, describing the allocation as small.
Cheema said the current Bhagwant Mann government had provided ₹1,746 crore for sports, compared with about ₹147 crore under the previous government. Singh won the Jalandhar Cantonment seat in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections after joining Congress. He had earlier won the seat on a Shiromani Akali Dal ticket in 2012.
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