M A I N   N E W S

Follow Sahibzadas’ high value system,
Soni tells youth
Congress accuses Akalis of misusing shrines
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Union Home Minister Shiv Raj Patil and Congress general secretary Ambika Soni discuss a point with Captain Amarinder Singh at a rally in Fatehgarh Sahib on Saturday. — A Tribune photograph

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 25
While Central Congress leaders were in consonance with the Akali Dal and Sikh leadership on religious and moral issues, the Punjab Congress leaders blasted their political opponents for using shrines and sacrifices by Sikh Gurus for their narrow political gains at the conferences held on the penultimate day of the Shaheedi Jor Mela here today.

Foggy and chilly weather conditions notwithstanding, this historic town, which witnessed martyrdom of the younger two of the four Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri 300 years ago, was virtually a sea of humanity.

The contrasting rallies by Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, held opposite each other, had some Central political leadership participation. While the Union Home Minister, Mr Shiv Raj Patil, and All-India Congress Committee’s general secretary, Mrs Ambika Soni, turned up at Congress rally, former Delhi Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Madan Lal Khurana was present at the political conference of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

True to their pre-tercentenary announcements, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) as well as SAD leaders focussed on religious and social issues during their discourses, expressing their deep concern over the growing incidence of apostasy and drug addiction among youth of the state.

On the other hand, the state Congress leadership, including the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, Deputy Chief Minister, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, and former MP, Mr Shamsher Singh Dulo, besides the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr H.S. Hanspal, not only mounted devastating attack on the Akalis and the SGPC but also accused them of their active connivance and involvement in demanding Khalistan and supporting terrorism in the state. Intriguingly, neither Mr Shiv Raj Patil nor Mrs Soni touched politics and concentrated mainly on religious and moral issues maintaining that values and issues for which the Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri made the supreme sacrifice were relevant today.

Mrs Ambika Soni went a step ahead to suggest that the greatest tribute to the martyrs would be to check female foeticide in the land of Mata Gujri and “check our new generation whether it has been educated and trained to emulate the Sahibzadas”.

She said that it was unfortunate that the new generation was going astray. Drug addiction was growing. “We must do introspection whether our new generation has the same dedication, commitment and value system for which the young Sahibzadas made the supreme sacrifices. We must imbibe in them the high value system through good parenting,” she said.

Expressing her concern at the low ratio of females to males in Punjab, she said it was “shameful that such a thing was happening in the land of Mata Gujri. As a human being, as a woman and a public representative, I feel deeply concerned and want that this must be checked forthright. We must make Punjab number on e state,” she added.

Mr Shiv Raj Patil dwelt mainly on the sacrifices of the Sahibzadas and the universal appeal of Guru Granth Sahib. He said that whenever anyone visits sacred land of Sikh Gurus, one bows one’s head in reverence. “We cannot offer anything in return except for humility and respect. The Government of India must make some offering here. “We will discuss it with the Chief Minister and other Congress leaders to do something befitting for this historic town to mark the tercentenary of martyrdom,” said Mr Patil.

Earlier, Mr Hanspal blasted the Akalis and the SGPC for doing nothing for the cause of the Sikh Panth, except for using gurdwaras and historic melas for their ‘self -political projection’.

Mr Shamsher Singh Dulo went a step ahead to accuse the SGPC and Akali leadership of equating supreme sacrifices of Sahibzadas with those of the Sikh militants. He said that only Congress Chief Ministers have met religious demands of the Sikhs by claiming that Fatehgarh Sahib was upgraded as district headquarters by the Beant Singh Government while Harcharan Singh Brar Government made Muktsar a district. Guru Gobind Singh Marg was the contribution of Giani Zail Singh.

The Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, capped it saying that the Akalis were only good in making promises. They promised Anandpur Sahib heritage complex but made no provision of funds. It was left to the Congress to complete the project. Even Galliara project of Amritsar was left incomplete and now the Congress Government was releasing funds for its completion.

Mrs Bhattal also gave a call to all religious heads, intellectuals, various Sikh organisations and others to prevent the present Akali and SGPC leadership from misusing the Sikh shrines and work for safeguarding the values of equality, well being and secularism as preached by Sikh Gurus. She held that the Congress was a secular party which had always looked after minorities.

The Chief Minister said that while Anandpur Sahib heritage complex was coming up at a cost of Rs 200 crore, there was no need for a separate museum at Fatehgarh Sahib.