LUDHIANA: Simranjit Singh Mann, the detained Akali leader, has termed the Punjab Chief Minister. Beant Singh, and the dissident Congress MP Jagmeet Singh Brar, as chips of the same block.
Talking to media persons in the courts complex here Mann said that Brar’s claim of championing Punjab’s interests was hollow. In this context he cited his role in laving the foundation of the Sutlej Yamura link canal and the Operation Blue star.
In the same breath, he lashed out al other Akali leaders for keeping quiet on certain burning issues confronting 10 Sikh community. He said that Justice S.S. Sodhi of the Allahabad High Court was ignored for elevation to the Supreme Court but none of the Akali leaders roaming free had even issues statement criticizing it. Similarly he said that last week, two Sansi women were beaten up by the police.
Ludhiana but the Akalis had remained num. He urged these Ieaders to take up the cause of the dalits irrespective of the fact that they vote for them or not.
Quoting the British Broadcasting corporation Mann said that the Maharashtra police had gunned down four Sikhs at Nanded. He demanded a judicial inquiry into the episode and said that Sikhs were not safe in that state headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party Shiv Sena Similarly, he said Muslims and other minorities felt a threat to their lives in Bombay. He demanded central rule in Bombay and Nanded so as to protect the minorities.
Commenting on statements of the Shiv Sena leader, Bal Thackeray, Mann said these were perturbing.
He dubbed the BJP as a communal party and stressed that Sikhs could not have any truck with it. Ho reiterated that Sikh national interests could not be sacrificed at the altar of appeasing Hindu fundamentalists.
He also criticized the Punjab and Haryana High Court for rejecting his bail application and rather granting him bail in a case in which the Ropar Court had already granted him the same. He remarked that he had no hope of justice from the high court since it was not open to pondering over the issue.
Mann appeared sore that so far his passport and arms licenses had been denied to him.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 7, 1995
