The Congress lawmakers in Punjab have come out in support of minister Navjot Sidhu, who was attacked by the opposition for his comment that an entire nation cannot be blamed for the Pulwama terror attack.
Congress lawmakers including Harjot Kanwal, Dharamvir Agnihotri, Harminder Gil protested outside the state assembly against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), displaying photos of its leaders, Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal meeting former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
"We are protesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party and Badal family. We are with Sidhu. He has not said something wrong," Mr Kanwal was quoted by the news agency ANI.
40 CRPF personnel were killed when a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber attacked their convoy in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on February 14.
But the Punjab minister landed in a huge controversy as he questioned, without naming Pakistan, "Can an entire nation be blamed for a handful of people?"
Though Mr Sidhu later clarified his comment that he was only talking about a permanent solution to the problem of terrorism, he was repeatedly attacked by the SAD and its ally, the BJP.
The Shiromani Akali Dal Monday sought dismissal of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for his comment.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who has a difference of views on how Pakistan should be dealt with, had said that Mr Sidhu didn't understand the intricacies of the defence sector.
With inputs from ANI
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