Shoe-thrower speaks for aam admi: SAD leader

The Home Minister may have forgiven journalist Jarnail Singh for hurling a shoe at him, but the Sikh community is not willing to let off the Government off. Angry protestors staged demonstrations in parts of Delhi and Punjab on Wednesday. CNN-IBN spoke to President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Sukhbir Singh Badal to hear his side of the story.

CNN-IBN: When everyone is condemning the shoe-throwing incident on Home Minister Chidambaram, your party, Shiromani Akali Dal actually offered a Rs 2 lakh reward to the journalist who was responsible for throwing the shoe. Was that appropriate?

Sukhbir Singh Badal: I don't know who within the Akali Dal has offered this. But I just want to say that the incident which took place is an emotional outburst by a member of the journalist community. You cannot consider it as a stray incident. It is a feeling which is emerging among thousands and lakhs and lakhs of people across the country. They need justice. What happened in 1984, when thousands of women were murdered, children were murdered, men were murdered and the people who were involved are roaming around freely, they are being rewarded as Member's of Parliament, they are being made ministers. The frustration which is emerging has merged and that is causing all the emotional outburst.

CNN-IBN: The frustration that you are speaking about has happened after the journalist's - Jarnail Singh - shoe throwing incident. Aren't you taking the angry outburst of one man and turning it into a political opportunity for yourself?

Sukhbir Singh Badal: No not all. I think you are taking it wrong. I have been making it a clear statement. This is not a political issue. Jarnail Singh does not belong to Akali Dal or any party. He is an individual, he is a journalist, he is a common man. If a common man can do it then this is a feeling of a common man of the nation. They want justice. And Congress rather than giving justice is rubbing salt on the wounds. And by giving a clean chit, frustration is emerging. The question which is arising in everyone's mind is why is Congress protecting them? Do they have something against the top leadership? Is the top leadership being blackmailed because they have something? Why are they so desperately again and again trying to do everything to make those people happy? That is the question which is emerging now. People of the nation want justice. They want all the people should be put behind bars.

CNN-IBN: You're upset by the clean chit to Jagdish Tytler, but he got acquitted by a court which was formed when the NDA - of which you were a part - was in power. Why didn't you do more to prosecute him?

Sukhbir Singh Badal: Yes, we appointed the Nanavati Commission. That is the time we went to the prime minister and got the Nanavati commission set up. After that we have been following every legal process required. People of the nation want justice. Just tell me one thing, thousands of people have been murdered and it's been more than thirty years and not a single person found?

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)