CHANDIGARH, India: A special meeting summoned by the break way Akali Dal group confirmed the expulsion of Sujit Singh Barnala from the president ship and the primary membership of the Akali Dal and unanimously elected, a former chief minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal as the new president of the party. Mr. Surjit Singh had been expelled from the party at the convention of the break way party at Amritsar on June 4th. The ruling group dismissed this move as a gimmick and described it as illegal and unconstitutional.
The acting general secretary of the break-way group Manjit Singh Delhi who announced the election of Mr. Parkash Singh Badal as President. This announcement was greeted with slogans of Bole-So-Nihal and Raj Kare Ga Khalsa. It was claimed that 342 out of total 468 delegates attended the session at Anandpur Sahib. He did not agree that it was a new party but maintained that it was the real ‘Akali Dal.
Mr. Parkash Singh’s name was proposed by Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra and seconded by Mr, Prem Singh Lalpura and Thekedar Surjan Singh, Several thousand supporters of the group thronged the Diwan Hall of Gurdwara Kesgher Sahib to formalize the split in 62 year old party. While the delegate and general sessions were held together, only the delegates were allowed to participate in the election process.
Mr, Parkash Singh was authorized the constitute the working committee. He later said he would do so in consultation with the other senior leaders and the ‘youth organizations. The tone and the tenor of the speeches delivered at the session were marked by militancy both against the Centre and the State government. Barnala government came in for a harsh treatment at the hands of the speakers who described Surjit Singh as a stooge of Congress (I).
A major highlight of the four hour session which was well organized was the call to all Panthic organizations and individuals to launch a struggle to resist the excesses against the Sikh youth and maintain the separate Sikh identity. It also stated that preserving the separate national linguistic religious and cultural identity of the Sikhs in a multi-lingual and multi-national India was paramount. Although the police had made elaborate arrangements, Mr. Talib Singh Sandhu, MLA, who is ‘wanted by the police managed to sneak in and was seated on the dais with S, Parkash Singh Badal.
A number of activists of All India Sikh Youth Federation were seen in the audience, but no one tried to raise pro-Khalistan slogans or disrupt the session, Parkash Singh Badal appealed to all sections of All India Sikh Student Federation to join hands and lend co-operation to the party in the fight for the Panthic cause. Whether the Badal group and the Federation have already reached an understanding is anybody’s guess.
In a brief presidential address, Mr. Parkash Singh gave a call for organizing resistance against the fake encounters and excesses against the youth being perpetrated by the State government at the instance of the Centre. He cautioned the Union government that any attempt to crush the Sikhs with force would not heal the wounds of Punjab and appealed to Rajiv Gandhi to heal the wounds of Punjab with love and understanding. If he wanted to solve the Punjab problem the Centre must negotiate with the youth. There is no point talking to Surjit Singh who he said has become irrelevant.
The former chief minister said that the people will not tolerate the transfer of 70,000 acres of land to Haryana in lieu of Chandigarh, We will resist even if we have to sacrifice 70,000 lives, he added. He alleged that the Sikh youths were being killed daily in fake encounters and said J.S. Ribeiro, Director General of police, could not be allowed to go on in this setup. Mr, Parkash Singh said that he would give the top priority to the reinstatement of the Sikh deserters of the army and prevent fake encounters. He cautioned the Chief Minister that the Centre would dump him the moment the Union Government feels that he had lost his utility to the Centre,
Ina hard-hitting statement, for president of SGPC, Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tobira, said that they were forced to perform surgery on ‘Akali Dal to weed out unwanted elements. He declined that the break-way group was trying to topple the Barnala government; Mr. Gurcharan Singh said that there was no threat to the State government as long as Centre supports it; He described the Barnala government as the Rajiv government. The Akali leader said that the session had been summoned to show mass support for the group. The Akali workers had ‘come in large numbers despite the ministerial attempts to dissuade them.
A former education minister, Mr, Sukhjinder Singh, said Muslims got Pakistan in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was given special status and Mizos had: been given more autonomy but the Sikhs had been denied their rights. He alleged that Prime Minister was pitting Sikhs against Sikhs. The Barnala government was being run by Aqjan Singh. The session unanimously adopted four resolutions. It recalled the assurances given by Gandhi and Nehru and reiterated that the Akali Dal feels that the Sikh identity in the multi-national India has not been accommodated. He described the Anandpur Sahib resolution as a panacea for all Sikh problems, The party blamed Barnala government for having gone back from the policy and programs of Akali Dal.
The massacre of the Sikhs and their repression by the government had put back their resolve for the implementation of the resolution.
‘Through another resolution, the party expressed serious reservations about the success of Rajiv Longowal Accord. It rejected the reports of various commissions which went into territorial disputes and cautioned the Sikhs against the evil designs of the Centre and the Punjab govern ment to rob Punjab and the Sikhs the fruit of the Accord. It called upon all the Panthic organizations engaged in the battle for the survival of the Sikhs to unite under the Kesri flag of the party to launch a struggle to fight the excesses against the Sikhs. The session stated the history of the split in the party and said that the nine month old Barnala government had noted to the release of Sikh detainees or rehabilitation of army deserters, It accused the State government of indulging in State terrorism against innocent Sikhs and branding them as separatists, terrorists and outlaws, Thousands have been falsely detained and killed in fake encounters, It accused the Chief Minister of helping the Congress (I) win a seat in the Rajya Sabha poll thereby hurting the Panthic interests.
Among others who spoke were Prem Singh Lalpura, Sant Ajit Singh and Miss Vinod Chadha.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 11, 1986
