AMRITSAR: The president of the Akali Dal (Mann),Simranjit Singh Mann, said here, on April 1 that in its “operation final assault” against militancy the government had started demolishing the Sikh religious institutions such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Damdami Taksal and in the institution of Sikh saints.
Talking to newsmen he said that he would shortly approach the SGPC chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Baba Thakur Singh, chief of the Damdami Taksal to undertake a joint struggle against the government to protect these institutions. He however refused to disclose the type of joint action program he intends to suggest to Tohra.
The Akali leader also called upon the president of the SGPC to face the challenge boldly and “not pass mere high sounding resolutions.”
Mann criticized the president of the Akali Dal (Badal) Parkash Singh Badal, and claimed that he was having “secret” talks with the Center through the Union Minister of State for Internal Security, Rajesh Pilot. This is evident from the change of the stand by Badal who had backed out from the decisions of sovereign Sikh state and Anandpur Sahib Resolution.
Mann refuted the claim of the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, that this government was able to contain militancy and brought normalcy in Punjab, “If so why the government is still keeping three lakh Army, two lakh paramilitary forces, 33,000 home guards and 25,000 SPOs and still occupied government and school buildings in the state for use of security forces. The government is in a fix and cannot come out of the situation so easily,” he said and added that no law is operating and no body surrendered before the police officials.
Mann predicted that there would be a collapse of administration in Punjab. “Sikhs cannot be demoralized they would continue their struggle,” he believed.
Mann said that he was not averse to unity in Akali factions.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 9, 1993
