M A I N   N E W S

Portraits of Sikh leaders to adorn Parliament
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 16
The long-standing demand of the Sikhs would be met next week with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee unveiling the portraits of the late Master Tara Singh and freedom fighter Baba Kharak Singh, the architects of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), respectively, in Parliament’s Central Hall on August 21.

“These portraits are the first of any Sikh leader to be exhibited in the Central Hall of Parliament,” the Chairman of National Commission for Minorities, Mr Tarlochan Singh, told The Tribune.

He said on the same evening, Mr Vajpayee would unveil a statue of Sher-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh on the Parliament compound.

While the portraits have been done by Amritsar-based artist Phoola Rani, the 25-feet statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh riding a horse has been sculpted by Abdul Suttar.

“The portraits of the Master and Baba Kharak Singh partially fulfil the Sikhs’ long-standing demand as the community also wants to see the paintings of freedom fighters Udham Singh and Bhagat Singh, among others, exhibited in Parliament,” Mr Tarlochan Singh added.

Master Tara Singh was born in a Punjabi Hindu Malhotra family of Rawalpindi. He is remembered for two things — steering the Sikhs towards opting for India in 1947 and campaigning for the state of Punjab in Independent India.

The move appears to be part of the BJP’s efforts to win the favour of the Sikhs ahead of the Assembly elections in five states, especially in Delhi which is home to a large population of the community.

Earlier, the BJP-led Central Government had cleared a Delhi Assembly-passed legislation granting a second official language designation to Punjabi in Delhi, fulfiling a four-decade-old demand of the Sikhs. It has also promised to move the full statehood Bill in Parliament next week.