Cong turned cremation into political gimmick: AAP MLA

AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Banawali also reached Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, to meet the two friends of Moosewala who were also injured in the incident. “The government will bear all expenses of the treatment of the both injured people,” he said.

AAP MLA Gurpreet Singh Banawali at Sidhu Moose Wala's residence. (Twitter/@singh_banawali)

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Written by Divya Goyal Gopal

A day after singer-turned-politician Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala was cremated at Moosa village in Mansa and the ruling AAP government led by CM Bhagwant Mann faced flak for not attending his last rites, the party’s Sardulgarh MLA Gurpreet Singh Banawali attended Sehaj path prayers at the singer’s residence in the village.

Later, he also reached Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Ludhiana, to meet the two friends of Moosewala who were also injured in the incident. “The government will bear all expenses of the treatment of the both injured people,” he said.
While Moosewala had joined Congress ahead of Assembly polls and contested from Mansa constituency, his native village, Moosa, is a part of Sardulgarh constituency.

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Speaking to The Indian Express, Banawali said that Congress played “dirty politics” at Moosewala’s cremation on Tuesday and none from AAP attended the cremation because they did not want it to turn into a “political gimmick.” “Yesterday too, I went to meet the slain singer’s parents after the cremation and spent two hours with them. Even before being an MLA, I am their family friend since years. Moosewala’s father is my friend and our party and the government is with them in this hour of grief.” he said, adding that “Moosewala might have joined the Congress as a politician but as an artiste, he belonged to entire Punjab and to all of us.”

However, Congress is behaving as if “AAP got him murdered”. The CM spoke to Moosewala’s father on phone and was continuously in touch on Tuesday, he said.

“It was during the Congress government that criminal cases were registered against Moosewala and he used to get various threats. These Congress leaders who are now expressing sadness over his death used to ridicule and demean him. Some were even unhappy and disgruntled over his entry into Congress. And today they are blaming AAP for the unfortunate incident and have suddenly become Moosewala’s biggest sympathisers,” the MLA said, adding that the singer was blackmailed and made to join Congress ahead of elections.

Also Read | Moosewala murder: AAP MLA meets singer’s family, injured friends; says ‘Congress turned his cremation into political gimmick’

“Even SAD and BJP leaders, who have now become his well wishers, used to defame him as a “gangster” and call him “pro-Khalistani”, Banawali said.
Congress leaders had accused the government of pruning Moosewala’s security cover even as he was getting threats. “Shame on extreme insensitivity of the CM that he had no time to offer condolences to Moosewala’s parents on cremation. Moosewala was a global cultural icon. At least, Mann, who is himself an artiste, should have shared the grief with parents of a fellow artiste,” tweeted Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Tuesday.
However, Banawali said that CM Mann has assured Moosewala’s father of all assistance and all their demands have been accepted.

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