M A I N   N E W S

Capt meddling in Sikh affairs: Badal
Chander Parkash and Romesh Gupta

Guru Ki Dhab (Faridkot), September 18
Mr Parkash Singh Badal, President of the SAD, today alleged that the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, was trying to endanger the communal harmony in Punjab by interfering in Sikh religious matters.

Addressing a party conference here on the occasion of the Jor Mela, Mr Badal said the SAD would fight tooth and nail against all attempts being made by Capt Amarinder Singh to bring gurdwaras and other Sikh religious bodies under the “occupation” of a former SGPC chief, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and his associates by using “force” against members of the SGPC and senior Akali leaders.

He said previous Congress governments at the Centre and in Punjab interfered in the Sikh religious matters and Punjab had to suffer a lot in the economic and social fields on that account. Now Capt Amarinder Singh, an “anjaan” (inexperienced) Chief Minister, was trying to bring the control of gurdwaras in the hands of Mahants again despite the fact that Akalis had snatched the control from them by launching an agitation decades ago.

“Amarinder Singh Punjab da bahut nuksaan kar devega jeh usne Sikha de mamle vich dakhal dena band na kita,” said Mr Badal, adding that the SAD would do everything possible to maintain the hard-won communal harmony of Punjab which had witnessed a lot of bloodshed in the past.

Mr Badal, who was upbeat over the huge gathering, said no voting right should be given to Sehajdharis in the SGPC elections. Sikhs should look after their religious matters and members of other communities should take care of their religious matters. He said this was necessary to sane Punjab from more violence.

Those who attended the rally included Prof K.S. Badungar, President of the SGPC, Mr Sukhbir Badal, MP, Mr Manpreet Badal, Mr Gura Singh Tungwali, Mr Sadhu Singh Rajeana, Mr Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and Mr Mantar Brar (MLAs), Mr Gurdev Badal, Mr Tota Singh (former ministers) and Mr Chitan Singh Samao, a former MP.

Substantiating his allegations, Mr Badal pointed out that Capt Amarinder Singh first dissolved the Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission and was now harassing members of the SGPC and other Akali leaders to “possess” the SGPC through his agents. He claimed that the SAD would succeed in getting its candidate elected as President of the SGPC whenever elections were held.

Regarding the anti-corruption drive of the Congress government, Mr Badal said on the one hand Capt Amarinder Singh had been claiming to provide a corruption-free government, while on the other he had pleaded with the Supreme Court to withdraw the indictment of four Congress ministers for their alleged acts of omission and commission by the Lok Pal.

“If Capt Amarinder Singh is serious about his commitment, he should set up a judicial commission headed by a sitting judge of the high court to probe allegations of corruption against members of the previous two Congress and SAD-BJP combine governments from 1992 to 2002. The property acquired by any ruling politician or officer of those two governments beyond his or her known sources of income should be confiscated by passing a Bill in this connection in the Vidhan Sabha,” he said, alleging the Capt Amarinder Singh was running the government under the “diktats” of a few government officers.

A former Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, alleged that the Punjab Government had failed on all fronts. He said Capt Amarinder Singh was not fulfilling his responsibilities as Chief Minister and was not carrying out development works, citing lame excuses like financial crisis. He said when the tenure of the SAD-BJP combine government ended, the Treasury had about Rs 265 crore.

Mr Sukhbir Badal said within six months, people of Punjab had started repenting for voting for the Congress as they were fed up with the “anti-farmer, anti-employee, anti-trader and anti-industrialist” policies of Capt Amarinder Singh.