AMRITSAR, Punjab, India: The Unified Akali Dal favors a “cautious” approach to resolving the Panthic crisis which has been caused by the “internecine war” involving the five head priests, the SGPC and militants. it is keen on a “collective effort” to bring about a rapprochement between the warning groups.
This is reported to be the majority view of the party which met at the SGPC committee room in Guru Nanak Niwas for ove three hours. The acting President, Mr. Ujagear Singh Sekhwan, was in the chair.
Though there was no fixed agenda, Mr, Sekhwan said the purpose was to review the “prevailing situation”,
Divergent views were expressed by the participants who included the Presidium and Council members MPs and present and former MLAs. They felt that an attempt must be made to persuade Mr. Darshan Singh to “return to the Sikh Centre stage”.
The current controversy over the four head priests’ September 9 statement and the SGPC resolution of September 12 also came up for discussion. It was felt that the priests’ “action” and the SGPC “reaction” were in “haste”.
Some of the participants felt that the SGPC should have consulted the “parent organization the Unified Akali Dal”.
Meanwhile, All India Sikh Students Federation (Manjit) faction has appealed to the federation faction led by Mr. Guyjit Singh to join the organization.
Ina joint statement, purported to have been written from the Jodhpur Jail, Mr. Manjit Singh and Mr, Harminder Singh Sandhu, President and General Secretary of the Federation, respectively have called upon the Sikh youth in general and all organizations in particular to organize themselves under the guidance of the Federation presidium.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1987
