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Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday charged the Akalis with raking up communal issues in the state.
The chief minister, who was in Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple, made these remarks when his attention was drawn to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's decision to raise a memorial to commemorate Operation Bluestar.
Last week, the SGPC had decided to raise five memorials to commemorate various important events in Sikh history, including the June 1984 army operation conducted to flush out militants from the Golden Temple complex.
Regarding the formation of his council of ministers, Singh said he would have a small ministry and the ministers would be chosen on the basis on their seniority.
He said there was no question of accepting party rebels in the Congress fold even if they had won the just-concluded assembly polls as independent candidates.
"We have a comfortable majority and the question of soliciting the support of independent legislators does not arise. But if they wish to support us they can do so,'' he said.
Regarding the performance of his party in the elections, he said the Congress had done remarkably well in the Majha and Doaba belt, and also managed to make inroads into the opposition vote bank in the Malwa belt.
While referring to the dismal performance of the party in Faridkot and Muktsar districts, he said the matter would be probed.
Referring to the exit polls, which had predicted that the Congress would get nearly 90 seats, he said that in 15 to 20 segments the party's nominees had lost by a slender margin. Deletion of names of voters from the electoral rolls was another reason, he added.
Singh said he would not tolerate any political interference in the functioning of the administration, as had happened during the previous regime. The chief secretary and the director general of police would have a free hand in appointing their deputies, he added.
Reiterating his commitment to put the state's economy back on track, he said an advisory committee would be constituted to advise the government on the steps to be taken on various economic problems afflicting the state, including those in the agriculture sector.
The chief minister said he had held talks with the Bharatiya Kisan Union in this regard.
Replying to a question, Singh said the state would provide all legal assistance to police personnel who were being tried for offences pertaining to fake encounter during terrorism in Punjab.
UNI
