CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal (Mann) and the Bahujan Samaj Party have decided to join hands to save democracy and “fight the Hindu fundamentalism”.
The Akali Dal (Mann) president, Mr Sirranjit Singh Mann, the Bahujan Samaj Party president, Mr Kanshi Ram, for two hours in Delhi on Sunday and discussed the situation in the wake of rath yatra being undertaken by Bharatiya Janata Party president, Mr L.K Advani.
Talking to newsmen here on Monday, Mr Mann said his effort would be to rope in all good thinking people in this effort.
In a joint statement Mr Mann and Mr Kanshi Ram expressed the apprehension that the rath yatra might lead to communal violence and said mischievous elements not likely to incite violence and ness. Coming at this juncture when the atmosphere was: already overcharged with communal and caste passions the Rathyatra was most unfortunate so it was adding fuel to the already inflamed social and political environment with the breakdown of law and order in most of the state capitals and also in the rural areas.
The two leaders said democracy and secularism were under grave danger giving rise to the apprehension of over some military adventurism.
They said in the event of any communal flare up it would be the duty of the cadres from their parties to protect minorities and not a single life of the minority community would be allowed to be lost. Mr Mann released the joint statement.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 19, 1990
