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BlueStar memorial
Punjab wants inscriptions on Bhindranwale to go
Jangveer Singh/TNS

Chandigarh, May 6
The Punjab Government is keen to remove the inscription listing separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s name from the “Yadgar” memorial erected in memory of those killed during Operation Bluestar despite pressure from the Damdami Taksal that led a march to the Akal Takht today to thwart any such move.

Sources said the inscription at the entrance of the memorial and the plaques on either side of the stairs leading to it mentioned about separatist leaders. This was in direct contravention of the assurance made by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the state Assembly that the memorial would be a simple gurdwara only.

Sources said while the developments embarrassed the Chief Minister, these had also made him lose face vis a vis his alliance partner-the BJP-which is extremely unhappy at the turn of recent events.

Observers feel the Chief Minister was essentially a moderate and hence could not allow Bhindranwale’s name to be projected in the manner done by the Damdami Taksal.

The SAD has reportedly taken up the issue with Damdami Taksal and members of the Sant Samaj spearheading the current campaign to ensure that the inscriptions are not removed.

As per the SAD stand, an understanding was arrived at with some radical elements to pave the way for the establishment of memorial. Despite it being a 20-year-old demand, memorial could not take shape as there was no unanimity on its shape.

A section of radical elements, including the Sant Samaj, approached both the CM and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal after coming to an “understanding” that all other parties were misleading the radical leaders and put their “trust” in the Badals on the issue.

This helped the SAD to get support of the Sant Samaj for the 2012 Assembly elections. The Sant Samaj also earned legitimacy by getting a long-pending demand “fulfilled”.

SAD sources claim it was decided that a memorial to all those who were martyred during Operation Bluestar should come up on the Darbar Sahib complex. This is disputed by the Damdami Taksal which claimed the purpose of the memorial all along had been to commemorate the “martyrs”, including Bhindranwale.

The SAD claims the Taksal has “deviated” from this understanding and that no personality-centric memorial should be allowed on the Darbar Sahib complex.

The SAD and the government is, however, wary of the Damdami Taksal because the latter is not willing to let go of the “success” achieved by it on the issue.

Sources said the Damdami Taksal and its head Harnam Singh Dhumma felt it had “achieved” something which no other radical leader had till now.

It is this which is coming in the way of an amicable “settlement” of the issue.

THE ROW

The inscription at the entrance of the Yadgar memorial and the plaques on either side of the stairs leading to it mention about separatist leaders

SAD sources say the understanding was to raise a memorial to all those martyred during Operation Bluestar in the form of a simple gurdwara