Congress candidate from Sri Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari on Monday alleged that the Akali Dal leaders were playing into the hands of Pakistan and its notorious intelligence agency, ISI,, by trying to sabotage the ongoing probe into the incidents of sacrilege that took place during their tenure.

Tewari, speaking at the ‘Meet the Press’ programme organized by the Ropar Press Club, said that the Akalis were misinforming the Election Commission of India by complaining against the officers involved in investigation.

“The Bargadi sacrilege was the handiwork of those who wanted to hurt the religious feelings of the Punjabis and sabotage the hard-earned peace...I wonder what the Akali leaders are scared of that they are getting the officers removed from the investigations and getting these derailed,” he asked.

Questioning the locus standi of the Akali candidate Prem Singh Chandumajra in describing him as an “outsider”, Tewari said: “Let Mr Chandumajra explain whether he himself belongs to Sri Anandpur Sahib parliamentary constituency”.

“Since Akali candidate has nothing to his credit that he could claim he had done during the last five years as an MP, he is trying to divert the issue,” he said.

At the same time, Tewari challenged Chandumajra to debate as whose contribution towards Punjab was greater. “I am a third generation Punjabi who has been involved with politics starting from my grandfather Sardar Tirath Singh Guram, who was a Minister, my father Prof Vishwanath Tewari who was an eminent Punjabi scholar and writer and an MP and now myself,” he said, while asking Chandumajra to tell Punjabis what was his role in Punjab when his father (Prof Tewari) was fighting to save Punjabiyat and in the process,, laid down his life.

On the occasion, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Satbir Singh Ahluwalia also joined the Congress.