Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Warring slams AAP over Sacrilege Bill, calls it a “Futile, Scripted Exercise” to bide time
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, July 15, 2025 – Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of enacting a "well-scripted drama" around the Punjab Prevention of Offences Against Holy Scripture(s) Bill, 2025 and calling its referral to a Select Committee a deliberate attempt to delay justice in the sacrilege cases.
Calling it “yet another futile, periodical exercise,” Warring said the government's move to pass the Bill in the Vidhan Sabha only to refer it to a Select Committee was aimed at misleading the public and buying more time.
“If the government was truly sincere about delivering justice, it would have acted on the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report which is gathering dust in government offices,” Warring remarked.
He alleged that the delay was a tactic to shield the real culprits and divert public attention from the failure to prosecute those responsible for the sacrilege incidents.Warring pointed out that the 2025 Bill is the third such legislation in eight years, with no convictions or justice delivered in any of the cases so far.
“It has been ten years since the first sacrilege incident in 2015. Since then, three different governments have passed three separate laws—yet not a single culprit has been punished,” Warring said.
He reminded that the Akali-BJP government passed a Bill in 2016, the Congress government introduced another in 2018, and now the AAP government has passed its own version in 2025, only to postpone further action under the pretext of public consultation.
The Congress leader also raised concerns that the six-month deadline given to the Select Committee could be extended indefinitely.
“Even if the committee submits the report on time, the Bill would still require legislative passage, gubernatorial assent, and ultimately the President's approval—which could take years,” he cautioned.
Warring concluded by saying the people of Punjab are tired of performative politics and demand real action. “This government, like its predecessors, is running away from the issue instead of resolving it.”