LUDHIANA: The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Punjab recently called upon the Centre to deploy the army in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir to contain the deteriorating situation
A sammelan of the Sabha was held here with Mr Virendra president in the chair the sammelan was held to review the situation in Punjab.
The sabha expressed serious concern over the deteriorating situation in Punjab and felt that there was no government worth the name in the state which could tackle the situation.
Mr Virendra who briefed newsmen said all experiments to bring the situation under control in Punjab had failed and held the Congress (I) and successive governments responsible for the present mess.
He said India and Pakistan were at war in two states and ‘only the army could provide some relief to the people.
The sammelan expressed concern over the attack on Hindi in Punjab and the ban on its use by the state government.
Mr Virendra said it was accepted that Punjabi was the official language of Punjab and should be propagated. But Hindi was the national language and the language of Hindu culture. Under the 1967 Language Act of Punjab it was decided that Hindi would be given a proper status in the state.
He maintained that Hindi was also the mother tongue of Guru Gobind Singh who had written books in Hindi and Sanskirt.
Mr Virendra said an attack on Hindi was an attack on the minority Hindu community in Punjab.
The sammelan called upon the Punjab Government to give due status to Hindi.
The sabha assailed the recommendations of the Mandal Commission and said the distinction in status should be based on class and not on caste.
It criticised the telecast of Chitrahaar which it said was obscene.
The sammelan also expressed concern over dowry deaths and felt that unlimited spending on marriages was responsible for this.
It demanded life imprisonment to the guilty and a ceiling on the expenditure on marriages.
Arya Samaj workers and leaders from all over the state participated in the sammelan.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 11, 1991
