Ram Jeth Malani

Stockton — March 3: Speaking at the historic Gurdwara in Stockton from where the Gaddar Movement of India’s independence was launched Ram Jethmalani the eminent lawyer and _ vice-president of Bhartiya JANATA PARTY squarely blamed Congress (1) functionaries for the outrage against Sikhs in Delhi and other cities of India after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He said that he was an eyewitness to the tragedy in Delhi and he knocked at the doors of ministers and officials including the Home Minister of India to make the official machinery stop the holocaust but in vain. “I gave the names of Congress (I) M.P.’s and other leaders who were inciting and leading the attacking mobs to the Home Minister who phoned a few police stations but without any effect,’’ he said. Jethmalani tried to explain that the holocaust was the work of confirmed criminals, goondas, thieves and thugs and not of Hindu neighbors. Hindu neighbors by and large protected the Sikhs, he said.

Mr, Jethmalani tried in vain to sell the idea of Hindu Sikh Unity and wanted the Sikhs to forgive and forget and advised them against acting in anger. He also wanted the Sikhs to leave the punishment of culprits to God and refrain from using separatist language.

Speakers after Ram Jethmalani, however, argued that Sikhs had been driven to a point where there was no alternative left for them but to have their own Sovereign Country, Khalistan.

Mr. Hardyal Singt Dhatt, VicePresident o! the Sikh Temple thankec Ram Jethmalani for being sympathetic to the Sikhs and for the pains he had taken in helping the Sikh victims in Delh even at the risk of hi: own life, but at the sami time did not agree witl him over the solutions of fered by him.

Dr. G. S. Grewal urge Jethmalani to take back the Sikh message that only solution to Sikh problem was Khalistan, th sooner the government of India and the majority community realized it, the better it would be for all the concerned. Dr. Grewal pointed out that Sikhs in India were slaves and would continue to remain slaves as they would always be badly beaten in the game of numbers. ‘Sikhs and Hindus can now live only as good neighbors and not as bhai bhai in the same territory,” he said. Manjit Singh brought out the doctrinal dichotomy between Sikhism and Hinduism and rejected the contention that overwhelming Hindus in India respected the Sikhs and considered them as the Saviors of Hindus. “‘If it had been true, the forty year old novice would not have romped home with 401 parliament seats in a house of 508. He won the massive majority solely on anti-Sikh stance, and the overwhelming Hindu majority endorsed the Sikh massacre reportedly carried out at the initiative of the ruling circles by their act of returning publically indicted persons like H. K. L. Bhagat,” he said.

“It is more than revealing that all the opposition leaders, including Ram Jethmalani, who had expressed sympathy for the Sikhs were defeated. Only opposition leader to win was Charan Singh who had repeatedly demanded army attack on the Golden Temple. How can anybody still say that lost faith in the majority community and were convinced that their separate identity was in serious danger. Let the majority community prove that the Sikh fears are groundless. Let the opposition parties start a joint morcha for a judicial probe into the holocaust and see to it that the culprits were sent to the gallows and not given berths in the cabinet. Let them acknowledge Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale overwhelming majority of Hindus respected and loved Sikhs?’’ he argued. He said that Sikhs had as a true Sant who was engaged in a_ peaceful struggle to secure justice and equality for the Sikhs. Let his detractors be punished for spreading canards against him. After taking all these steps, the majority community will have some locusstandi to talk of coexistence with Sikhs,’ he said.

In the course of an informal chat after the meeting Jethmalani remarked that the root of Sikh tragedy lies in “Your disunity.” Even after all these happenings, Sikhs will be seen garlanding the same Congress (I) leaders who had perpetrated the worst crimes against the Sikhs, he said. “If only Sikhs could unite, all their problems would be solved,” said Jethmalani.

The Gurdwara management honoured Mr. Ram Jethmalani by presenting him with a “‘Saropa.”

 FARE FORWARD, BROTHERS

NOT FAREWELL.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 8, 1985