YUBA CITY: Didar Singh Bains, the former President of the World Sikh Organization said that it was the concern and commitment of the congressmen to human rights rather than any lobbing that had made them introduce the Indian Human Rights Act of 1989 in the Congress. He reacted strongly to what he said was the Indian governments propaganda that he and a few Sikhs had got them to sponsor the bill.
”The Bill is a document of concern which has been introduced to press India to stop the persecution of Sikhs there. It is a broad based bipartisan effort of the Congress. All we have done is to inform our representatives of our concerns. We are glad they acted on them,” Bains said.
He also reacted strongly to a suggestion in the New York based weekly India Abroad that he had been quiet about Khalistan in the recent years. “I have always said that Khalistan is the only goal of the Sikhs and it is a mischievous move on part of the newspaper to suggest otherwise,” Didar Singh told the World Sikh News.
The India Abroad had in its March 3 issue referred to the support of Bains to Representative Wally Herger who had introduced the Indian Human Rights Act of 1989 in the Congress.
The paper said, “Herger’s constitutional District includes Yuba City which has a large number of Sikh constituents, including the so-called godfather of Sikhs i North America, millionaire farmer Didar Singh Bains, who owns thousands of orchard acres.
“Bains the former Chairman of the World Sikh Organization once was a vociferous agitator of a separate Sikh state of Khalistan, but in recent vears he has been rather quiet and maintained a low profile, preferring to play a behind the scenes role,” the paper added.
Didar Singh Bains said that since he was no longer the president of the WSO he did not make public statements; He retreated his commitment to Khalistan and referred to the diwan in Crothers where he had spoken on the necessity of Khalistan.
Bains also said it was wrong to say that the Congressmen were sponsoring the resolution because of the fund raising by their Sikh constituents. “They are doing this because they are deeply committed to human rights issues all over the world. Of course their Sikh constituents have a duty to inform them about the atrocities against the Sikhs in India and we do meet them whenever necessary, he added.
Referring to the charge that he was watched by the FBI and that the State Department had a senior official working full time to keep a watch on Khalistan activists, together with a senior Research and Analysis Official at the Indian Embassy, Bains said that he was shocked that the State Department was collaborating with a foreign agent to watch U.S. Citizen.
”The State Department has never recognized the human rights violations of people anywhere in the world. It backs dictatorships including that of Marcoses in Philippines. It persecuted the Gadri Babas who rose against British colonialism even though they got India independent, It continues to support the despotic Rajiv regime. It will also, in time recognize Khalistan,” he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 10, 1989
