Apologise: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to British govt

Bathinda, Feb 5: Punjab Chief Minister

on Wednesday sought an unconditional apology from the British government for what he said "secretly assisting"

in the launch of

in 1984.

Both the then governments were equally guilty of the "unpardonable act of attacking the most revered Sikh shrine, the Golden Temple", he said. The action had hurt religious sentiments of Punjabis in general and the Sikhs in particular, the 86-year-old 5-time Chief Minister said, according to an official release.

"The Sikhs will never forgive them for this sin against humanity," Badal said on the sidelines of his Sangat Darshan programme in Maur assembly segment in Bathinda district. "The British government must tender an unconditional apology for supporting the then (Congress) regime in the crime in which many innocent people were killed," he said.

Accusing the Congress of inflicting a deep wound on the Sikh psyche, Badal said "it was totally wrong on part of the then government to take support of Britain in dealing with its internal matter." "On its part, the British government also committed a crime by illegally helping their Indian counterpart on this sensitive issue," Badal said and sought resignation of the UPA government on the issue.

The British government's disclosure showed all the past and present Congress leaders had been "lying" as they had been claiming the decision to mount the operation was a sudden one, the release quoting the Chief Minister said.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague has said the UK had played no role in the actual operation. British's military role to flush out militants from the Golden Temple was "limited and purely advisory", he has said.

PTI