AMRITSAR: The moves by Akali leaders to forge unity have once again come a cropper. The efforts of the six Panthic organizations which have been trying to forge an effective alliance so that they could Jointly fight the repressive policies of the Central and State Governments, have once again come to naught,

At a meeting of the faction at Amritsar’s Gurdas Hall, Akali Dal (Badal) leader Parkash Singh Badal charged Simranjit Singh Mann with torpedoing unity efforts of the Panthic bodies, He also Criticized Mann for having ‘criminal’ Congress leaders blaming the Akalis for Operation Bluestar, Such irresponsible statements had only stymied unity moves,

Badal warned that in case during the next five days Mann or any other Panthic leader made “irresponsible” allegations against the Badal group, then it would seriously reconsider whether it should be associated with other Panthic bodies. “We will have to explain to our people the real reason why unity efforts have come to naught,” he said.

Badal said that the functioning of Mann was not at all conducive to the forging of unity among the Panthic organizations.

The Akali Dal (Badal) also decided to launch a mass non-violent and peaceful movement to mobilize opinion against ‘state repression’ disrespect to women in police stations and detention of Sikh youth without any trial for unspecified periods and killing of ‘innocents’ in ‘fake’ encounters.

\Badal, briefing newsmen at the Bhai Gurdas Hall; here, said that as a first mass action a massive demonstration would be held at Boat Club in Delhi on October 12 in which more than one lakh Sikhs would participate. Besides the above-mentioned issues the demonstration will also demand release of Bhai Sukhdev Singh Sukha and Bhai Harjinder Singh Jinda whose execution in the General Vaidya assassination case had been confirmed by the Supreme Court.

Badal, flanked by his party leaders said that senior opposition party leaders will also be invited to participate in the Delhi demonstration to support the Sikh cause. He said that the party was yet to approach opposition leaders in this regard. The meeting passed are solution asking the opposition to come to the rescue of the Sikhs,

The resolution further said that the treatment being meted out to the Sikhs and use of state ‘repression’ to stifle democracy in Punjab by not allowing the Akalis to demonstrate were the reasons that the party decided to hold demonstrations in Delhi.

The invitation would also be a test of national opposition parties if they “accept the Sikhs as Indian citizens or not,” Badal said.

Though another resolution the meeting said that the Congress (I) was adopting anti-farmer policies by raising prices of agricultural inputs like electricity, fertilizers etc. The meeting passed three other resolutions demanding release of Bhai Sahib, Bhai Ranjit Singh Jathedar Akal Takht, Kartar Singh Narang, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, Rajinder Singh Mehta, Amarjit Singh Chawla and all other detained Sikh youth languishing in various jails in Punjab and other slates. It also condemned the use of official machinery in the municipal elections and use of police to pressurize independent candidates to support Congress’s presidential candidates.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 25, 1992