The Congress party on Sunday took a dig at former Chief Minister and Akali Dal patron Parkash Singh Badal over his 'belated awakening' about the ill effects of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Senior party leader and Jails and Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that it was strange that while the Shirom Akali Dal-Badal voted in favour of the CAA and supported its passage in both the Houses of Parliament, the senior Badal has now started crying hoarse over it saying that the citizenship should be open to the people of all religions.
"It is actually a statement of convenience as he and his party has been ignored and sidelined by the BJP and now they are trying to use the CAA to seek attention from their masters (BJP leaders)," he said in a statement.
The minister challenged Badal that if he was really serious and concerned about the divisive nature of the CAA, he can ask his daughter-in-law to resign from the Union Cabinet.
"Or at least write a letter of protest to Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning the unconstitutional nature of the CAA," he asked Badal while adding that "otherwise it will be reaffirmed that you are making random statements to derive some political bargain from the BJP."
Randhawa said that the Badals have changed their stand on CAA so frequently depending on the situation at the particular moment.
"First when it suited them, they supported the CAA in the parliament and now they think opposing it will suit them more," he observed and advised the SAD leader to maintain consistency in his stand and statements on crucial matters.
( With inputs from ANI )