LUDHIANA: The president of the ‘Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Gurcharan Singh Tohra has appealed to the president of Akali Dal Badal, Parkash Singh Badal, to stop playing in the hands of the government.
Talking to media persons here, onDec.3, he observed that Badal’s actions were coming in handy for the government, as it wanted to keep the Sikhs divided and ensure that the infighting among the Akalis gets intensified.
He alleged that the government intentionally booked Badal under a different clause so as to obstruct the process of Akali unity initiated by the Akal Takht, acting jathedar, Maniit Singh. The SGPC chief, ‘who ‘was at Ramgarh village to inaugurate a new building of the Mai Bhago College for Women, reiterated that he was prepared to. Sacrifice his president ship, if Badal heeds to the appeal of the Jathedar. Urging him to stop distorting Sikh history, he wanted to know whether Badal would accept the supremacy of Akal Takht, Asked if Badal’s going to pray at Akal Takht before launching his Delhi march did not show that he respected the supreme temporal seat of Sikhism, Tohra remarked that this step was meant more to create confusion than anything else. However, he criticized the government for banning Badal’s march, arresting its leaders and termed these as antidemocratic “steps.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 9, 1994
