LUDHIANA: Panthic unity appears to be a distant dream in view of the traditional Akalis staying away from the two-day exercise of the Sant Samaj for the purpose.

The Panthic council of the Sant Samaj which includes two former jathedars of the Akal Takht, Prof Darshan Singh and Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, waited in vain for the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Mr, Parkash Singh Badal, and the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, Mr. Gurcharan Singh Tohra, on the concluding day last week.

The two supreme leaders failed to turn up despite two veteran Akali leaders Thekedar Surjan Singh and Mr. Basant Singh Khalsa personally conveying to the council recently that they would be coming on soon. According to Prof Darshan Singh, it was under consideration whether to allow another opportunity to Mr, Badal and Mr. Tohra to come and present their views on forging Panthic Unity in View Of forthcoming elections. That the aim of the Panthic council is far from achieved is also evident because it did not issue any appeal to the: deputations that called on it in Gurdwara Nanaksar here to stop Criticizing each other publicly or start a common platform to begin with.

As a result, different Akali factions are all set to organize separate political conferences in the days to come where they would be flaying each other.

The Shiromani Akali Dal, the Akali Dal (Amritsar) and the United Akali Dal would hold separate stages at Tahliana Sahib Gurdwara at Raikot and during the Maghi mela at Muktsar on January 14.

Though the Panthic council stated that it would announce a program for the community after a few days after deliberating on the suggestions it had received, it would not be an easy job in view of the widely divergent views submitted by various deputations. Most of the deputations were against giving importance to traditional Akalis in the proposed set up.

Mr. Rajbir Singh, president of the All India Sikh Students Federation, said that the unity exercise would prove futile, if traditional Akalis are brought to the fore as it would lend credence to their “past actions.”

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 10, 1996

 

Article extracted from this publication >>