WSN Service
JALANDHAR: The panthic Committee associated with Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochakal has called for a one-day bandh on February 19 the day of poll to the Punjab Assembly in order to frustrate the Indian plans to hold election at gun-point.
Other militant groups are also likely to follow suit to effectively stop movement of vehicles and men on that day.
Both Akali leaders have also decided not to admit pro-poll dissidents expelled by either party. The Badal group threw out the vice president Sukhjinder Singh for five years for his decision to contest the election as a front organization of the Baba Wassan Singh Jaffarwal-led panthic committees. But Baba Jaffarwal in a statement released at Chandigarh denied.
Sukhjinder Singh’s claim and said that the militant group had nothing to do with Sukhjinder Singh. Baba Jaffzarwal added that his group was in favor of a poll boycott. He called upon the Sikhs not to join the election stunt.
With the decision of half a dozen important leaders of Akali Dal (Longowal) to keep out of the election, the credibility of the Amarinder Singh-led group has suffered a big setback. The main architects of the Longowal group are, in addition to Amarinder Singh, Ravi Inder Singh and Capt Kanwaljt Singh.
‘That the Shiromani Jagat Akali Dal, recently floated by Jiwan Singh Umranangal, filed to take off the ground is indicated by the fact that its author announced here that he would not contest the poll although, he said, he would put up others as candidates.
Jagdev Singh Talwandi, associated with Badal Akali Dal, stated at Ludhiana that he had decided to revive Akali Dal (Talwandi) but the later would not join the electoral contests. Talwandi these days is living under tight security. He ‘seems to be keen on showing his anxiety to boycott the election in- dependent of the Badal Akali Dal that a message goes home 10 militants about Talwandi’s return to the Sikh mainstream.
Meanwhile, Indian government’s authorities have been disillusioned with most Akali leaders for their decision not to join the election Politics. Consequently, the government has ordered withdrawal ‘of security ‘pickers and gunmen provided to Akali leaders as a punishment for joining pro-militant political bandwagon. The first to be affected is S.G.P.C. chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra who appears to have curtailed his movements. Mann is unaffected because he did not get any government security. But Badal’s security is still intact. Indications are that the Indian government does not treat Badal as irretrievable.
A statement by Dr-Sohan Singh clarifying his stand on elections has helped in clearing an air of doubt and uncertainty; He alleged that a series of statements issued under his name were actually planted by Indian intelligence agencies. Now for the first time all militant and Akali groups are united on the election boycott.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 7, 1992
