CHANDIGARH: Mr.G.S. Dhillon, Chairman, Department of Evening Studies, Punjab University, who joined the Akali Dal (Mann) as its executive member in 1994, last week announced his resignation from the party. He said he would submit his resignation letter to Mr.S.S. Mann in a day or two.
Mr. Dhillon, an ideologue for ‘Sikh homeland’ said he had joined the party on the invitation of Mr. Mann on the understanding that he would be given the party ticket for the seat of his choice for the Lok Sabha poll.
But, he alleged, Mr. Mann in “connivance” with Sant Samaj had denied him the ticket for the Ferozepur seat for which he was an aspirant.
He said he had lost faith in the Akali and would soon float his own party which would work towards total autonomy for the Sikh community in order to evolve a ‘new social order’ as per Sikh traditions. . He intended to achieve this objective through effective participation in parliamentary democracy unlike Mr. Mann who had not been able to perform as a parliamentarian at all, he added their future.
Elaborating further on the elasticity of the Constitution, he said that the Prime Minister was ready to grant autonomy to the Kashmiris because the demand fell within the ambit of the Constitution. “The same yardstick could be applied to Punjab.”
To a question regarding a possible government design in the timing of is release, which coincided with announcement of general elections, Dr. Singh said “the propaganda mill of the government had planted a malicious story in a Canadian Punjabi newspaper about my joining hands with Jagjit Singh Chohan to give a boost to the cause of Khalistan even before 1 was released.” He denied having any truck in common with Chohan, who according to him has no credentials.
He recollected a resolution passed by the Panthic Committee on April 29, 1986 which had opposed “social disturbances.” All the bloodshed caused in the fields of Punjab was handiwork of the state agents who had infiltrated the militant ranks, he declared. “The Babbars could not have indulged in anti-Sikh activities,” he opined.
Jain hawala scam had helped the nation to attain an identity of its own, said the ideologue, as the real character of the country’s polity had come out in true colors. Arrested from a rented bungalow in Kathmandu, he expressed his dismay at the media repeating the police version pertaining to his arrest from this township,
Giving examples of false stones culled out by a section of the press, Dr, Singh recollected that his last rites were performed about a decade ago, if a report was to be believed, if yet another report in a vernacular newspaper was to be believed, his kidneys had failed long back and the American doctors had expressed Live hope about his survival.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1996
