LUDHIANA: The Punjab administration on the Indian government’s instructions has virtually banned the public activity of Akali Dal’s now backing election boycott.
The election boycott by the Akalis is being viewed by Delhi as providing a frontal forum to Sikh militants to carry on their struggle for Khalistan through peaceful means.
No senior Akali leader was allowed to attend a public rally at Ludhiana on February 2 to protest against the Indian government’s Punjab policy of Oppression and to mobilize the public to boycott he forth coming election.
Akali leader was parkash Singh Badal was detained at a private house in Gurdev Nagar while Simranjit Singh Mana was kept in a house at Khana, He was latter allowed to move to his residence near Fatehgarh ‘Soheb in Patiala district. Another ‘senior Avail leader Guscharan Singh Tohra along with many others were injured when they tried to break a police cordon thrown around them to prevent them from ‘moving towards the rally site.
However Badal later stated that his party’s aim of bringing to the notice of the world the fraud of the current election had been fulfilled even while the rally was not allowed to hold.
Akali leader belonging to various groups have now decided to hold workers conferences at Gurdaspura Amritasar Bathinda and Patiala on February 6,7,8 and 9 respectively to mobilize them ‘to spread out in villages to campaign for boycotting the election.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 14, 1992
