AMRITSAR: The dissensions in the All India Sikh Students Federation (Bhai Amrik Singh) took a new turn on Nov.24 when the Akali Dal (Manjit) president Manjit Singh, sacked the federation president, Jasbir Singh Ghuman, and appointed Harminder Singh Gill in his place.
Gill (29), who was general secretary in the Akali Dal, was authorized to nominate it at all levels within one week.
Bhai Manjit Singh stated this to newspapers after a joint meeting of the party and federation activists, held in the “langar” building of the Golden Temple complex. He claimed that about 400 office-bearers, central committee members, district presidents and other activists attended the meeting which lasted for over four hours.
Bhai Manjit Singh said that he took the action against Ghuman under the powers given to him by the organization as its “patron” at a general house meeting of the federation which held its session at Muktsar on November 10 on the occasion of the death anniversary of Bhai Amnk Singh.
He said that Ghuman was sacked for his antiparty activities and for violating the party discipline by participating in the Gujjarwal Akali morcha on Noy.1 against the party decision to stay away from it.
Bhai Manjit Singh said that Gill will hold the post for one year till Nov.10, 1994, when new elections would be held for the post. Gill resigned his post as general secretary of the Akali Dal to take charge of the new post. Gill is a brother-in-law of Manjit Singh.
Bhai Manjit Singh added that Ghuman was suspended on Nov.6 for creating a wedge between the Akali Dal and the federation which were working “hand in hand.” While the Akali Dal was working as a political party, the federation was an Organization of the Sikh youth. With his development, a sixth federation faction had come into being. The other five factions functioning in Punjab were led by Jasbir Singh Ghuman, Rajinder Singh Mehta, Manjit Singh Bhoma, Daljit Singh Bitto and the federation (presidium).
Ghuman had already challenged Bhai Manjit Singh for taking any action against him and warned him against interfering in the federation affairs since the federation maintained its independent identity and was “not a carbon copy of the Akali Dal.”
In another significant move, all Akali Dal working committee members, office-bearers and district presidents handed over resignations ¢n bloc to the president, Bhai Manjit Singh, to enable him to reorganize the party.
Bhai Manjit Singh said that he would announce a new working committee, office-bearers and district presidents in seven days.
The party, meanwhile, decided to stage dharnas outside all 14 district headquarters in the state in protest against the sacrilege of the Akhand path by the police at the Gujjarwal Gurdwara in Ludhiana district in mid-September. At least 101 workers would participate in each dharna.
In a unanimous decision in this respect, Manjit Singh added, memoranda would be submitted to the Deputy Commissioners demanding action against the guilty police officials in the Gujjarwal incident.
The party further decided to submit a memorandum to the Punjab Governor on the same issues after a march of the party activists in Chandigarh on Dec.17. At least 101 activists of both his party and the federation would participate in the march.
The party assailed the criticism of the SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, of Manjit Singh and paid tributes to Baba Joginder Singh, father of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who died of heart attack at Mukatsar last month.
The newly appointed president of the federation, Gill, said that the body would continue to follow the ideologies and aims of Bhai Amnk Singh, who was stained in the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar in 1984.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 3, 1993
