CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal-M campaign to safeguard the right of Sikhs to carry kirpans received a major setback when Bimal Khalsa an MP of this party unexpectedly entered parliament to take oath last week. Khalsa is widow of Beant Singh executed in the Indira Gandhi case,
Khalsa was elected with a massive majority late last year from the Ropar reserved constituency. She along with Mann and Mand has been staying away in the kirpan issue which they say is guaranteed in Article 25 of the constitution.
Other party MPs Rajdev Singh, Sucha Singh, Rajinder Kaur Bulara, and Jagdey Singh Khudian took oath without their kirpans.
Mann the party leader has been firm on the kirpan issue and wrote the PM and Lok Sabha speaker in this regard.
Bimal Khalsa said that the chief of the Damdami Taksal Baba Thakur Singh had no objection to her entering Parliament without the kirpan.
Simranjit Singh Mann described Khalsa’s action as a betrayal of the panth. He said he would take action against her. A meeting called for this purpose however failed to materialize.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 4, 1990
