Stories
AAP Leader Cheema Challenges Pargat Singh on Anti-Sacrilege Bill, Past Performance
N
News18•03-10-2026, 15:30
AAP Leader Cheema Challenges Pargat Singh on Anti-Sacrilege Bill, Past Performance
- •Punjab minister Harpal Singh Cheema questioned newly-appointed state Congress chief Pargat Singh on his stance regarding the anti-sacrilege bill.
- •Cheema also asked why Singh, a former Olympian, did not raise issues of drug abuse and sacrilege during his tenure with the Shiromani Akali Dal.
- •The AAP leader criticized Singh's performance as sports and education minister in the previous Congress government, citing the Supreme Court setting aside the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors.
- •Cheema highlighted that a "miniscule" sports budget was allocated when Singh held the sports portfolio, despite his athletic background.
- •Pargat Singh began his political career with SAD in 2012, was suspended in 2016, and later joined Congress, winning the Jalandhar Cantt seat in 2017 and 2022.
Key Questions Answered
The Congress party appointed former Olympian Pargat Singh as the new president of the Punjab Congress on Friday following the resignation of Amrinder Singh Raja Warring.
The bill introduces stricter punishments, including life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 25 lakh, making any act of sacrilege against the Guru Granth Sahib a non-bailable offense{{3}].
AAP leader Harpal Singh Cheema alleged that Pargat Singh badly failed as the sports and education minister during the previous Congress regime, noting that the recruitment of 1,158 assistant professors was set aside by the Supreme Court for bypassing rules.
