MOHALI: The Khalistani ideologue, Dr. Sohan Singh whose release from Jail coincided with the notification for the general elections, is keeping his options open on whether to contest the coming elections or to float a new political party.
In an interview here, the head of Panthic Committee named after him, declared that the traditional Sikh leadership had a proven track record of “incompetence” which called for a remedial action by the people through democratic means. Coming down heavily on the Akali Dals of different hues, Sohan Singh remarked, “Let them. (the traditional leadership) spell out what they have done for the aspirations of the people in the last 75 years.” He refused to extend his support to the Akali Dal (Badal) candidate for the Ropar constituency Basant Singh Khalsa who had approached him,
He charged that the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) had become a “school for scandal.”
The appears to have given up the theory of separatism. “I am an integrationist wanting to unite all humanity as desired by the Sikh Gurus,” he ‘stressed quoting from the holy Granth. Yet, he does not discard the concept of Khalistan and re on to harp on the “elasticity” of the Indian democratic rights to people for deciding their future.
Elaborating further on the elasticity of the Constitution, he said that the Prime Minister was ready to grant autonomy to the Kashmiris because the demand fell within the ambit of the Constitution. “The same yardstick could be applied to Punjab.”
To a question regarding a possible government design in the timing of is release, which coincided with announcement of general elections, Dr. Singh said “the propaganda mill of the government had planted a malicious story in a Canadian Punjabi newspaper about my joining hands with Jagjit Singh Chohan to give a boost to the cause of Khalistan even before 1 was released.” He denied having any truck in common with Chohan, who according to him has no credentials.
He recollected a resolution passed by the Panthic Committee on April 29, 1986 which had opposed “social disturbances.” All the bloodshed caused in the fields of Punjab was handiwork of the state agents who had infiltrated the militant ranks, he declared. “The Babbars could not have indulged in anti-Sikh activities,” he opined.
Jain hawala scam had helped the nation to attain an identity of its own, said the ideologue, as the real character of the country’s polity had come out in true colors. Arrested from a rented bungalow in Kathmandu, he expressed his dismay at the media repeating the police version pertaining to his arrest from this township,
Giving examples of false stones culled out by a section of the press, Dr, Singh recollected that his last rites were performed about a decade ago, if a report was to be believed, if yet another report in a vernacular newspaper was to be believed, his kidneys had failed long back and the American doctors had expressed Live hope about his survival.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1996
