'Operation Bluestar to remain politically relevant'

LUDHIANA: Punjab BJP president and newly elected MP from Hoshiarpur, Avinash Rai Khanna on Friday asserted that issues like Operation Bluestar and anti-Sikh riots in Delhi would remain politically relevant for generations to come.
Maintaining that people of the country will never forget the Congress party''s anti-Sikh role, he dismissed the contention of certain senior Akali leaders about positive change in Sikh opinion about the Congress party.
He reiterated that Congress president Sonia Gandhi''s refusal to become PM was due to strong sentiment prevailing countrywide against her candidature. "The electorate showed that the country should not go into the hands of firangis again," he said in the news conference at circuit house here.
Khanna demanded resignation of chief minister Amarinder Singh for losing people''s confidence as shown by the just concluded Lok Sabha polls. He claimed Amarinder would be unable to do anything for the state despite having Congress led government at centre.
"Amarinder Singh is basically an incompetent person," said Khanna when asked. Though the factors responsible for his party''s defeat will be analysed in the BJP''s national executive meet, Khanna felt that pre-poll alliances and public resentment against respective state governments could be the reasons behind the defeat.
When asked pointedly if it meant BJP did not win in Punjab on the strength of the issues raised by it, Khanna admitted it was definitely the anti-incumbency factor. At the same time, non-performance of the state government was one of their two poll issues, he said.
He would raise the issue of establishing oil refinery at Bhatinda in the Parliament besides highlighting human rights violations committed by the Amarinder''s government during the recent polls. He asserted no change in the party setup in Punjab after the polls. Khanna held meetings of the state office bearers and executive committee to broadbase the party in Punjab.