Harsimrat Kaur Badal (L) and Captain Amarinder Singh (R)
A collage of pictures of Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh | Photo: Arindam Mukherjee/ThePrint
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Chandigarh: The 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre saw the representatives of two prominent Punjab dynasties fight it out over the alleged bonhomie of their forefathers with the perpetrators of the bloodbath.

The war of tweets between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal came a day after the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) engaged in a bitter war of words over Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In a tweet Saturday evening, Harsimrat posted a photo of Amarinder’s grandfather Maharaja Bhupender Singh greeting Michael O’ Dwyer, who served as the lieutenant governor of Punjab from 1912 to 1919, when the massacre took place.

Also read: Jallianwala Bagh commemoration remains sombre with poll code in place, parties still spar

“And you, Captain Amarinder proudly display these pics in your lobby, or are you too ashamed of your grandfather? Unlike your wild allegations, when we level an allegation, we always back it with facts.”

While General Reginald Dyer is identified as the main culprit of the massacre in popular imagination, as he was the one who led soldiers to Jallianwala Bagh on Baisakhi 1919, his name is often confused with that of O’Dwyer. However, the latter, who was assassinated by Udham Singh in 1940, is believed to have condoned the massacre, with some historians suggesting that he was the one who ordered it.

Reacting to Harsimrat’s tweet, Amarinder cited the common mix-up between the two names:  “Amazed at how dumb someone can be! Harsimrat Badal can’t you see the difference between General Dyer and Michael O’Dwyer, Punjab LG who was assassinated by Udham Singh? Are you so desperate that you’ll spread any disinformation to win? You all need history lessons.”

Along with his tweet, he posted a picture of both Dyer and O’Dwyer.

Triggered by Rahul visit to Golden Temple

In another tweet, Harsimrat lashed out at the CM for “boycotting” a function headed by Vice-President M. Venkaiahn Naidu at Jallianwala Bagh Saturday.

She subsequently tweeted the screenshot of a media report that discussed the role of both Dyer and O’Dwyer in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre — in response to Amarinder’s tweet about the name mix-up.

Amarinder, who is also a military historian, cited another purported historical anecdote to lash out at Harsimrat.

“Did you, your husband @officeofssbadal or his father, Parkash Singh Badal, ever apologise for your great grandfather, Sardar Sunder Singh Majithia’s lavish dinner to Gen Dyer on the day of Jallianwala Bagh massacre? He was later knighted in 1926 for his loyalty and his deeds.”

Harsimrat’s tweet to Amarinder Saturday was part of an attack centred on Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, with the Union minister saying that the chief minister lacked courage to ask the Congress president to admit “the Congress sin of demolishing the highest religio-temporal seat with tanks and mortars”.

She was referring to Operation Bluestar of 1984, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sent the Army into the Golden Temple to flush out Sikh militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

 

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