JALANDHAR: Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal and his Panthic Committee fully owned the All India Sikh Students Federation (Manjit Singh group) and its electoral politics and said that the proposed electoral strategy would promote the cause of a sovereign Sikh state Khalistan.
The other major Panthic Committees associated with Dr Sohan Singh and Baba Jaffarwal respectively however announced their dissociation with the election process which they maintained would impede rather than help the attainment of Khalistan.
Defending the participation of A.I.S.S.F (Manjit) in the election process Baba Manochahal said that the only other option was to leave the political stage free for Akali politicians like Barnala. His success would be propagated by India’s brahminical forces as the victory of unity and integrity of India and a vote against “Khalistan”. Now that the federation was contesting on the issue of Khalistan the Sikh motto would become a central issue all over the world. A clear Sikh verdict in favour of Khalistan would be available In this connection Baba Manochahal said the apprehensions voiced by the Panthic Committee headed by Dr Sohan Singh that such a government would be used by the Centre to further suppress the Sikhs was unfounded. Should Bhai Manjit Singh try to become another Barnala or Vardharaja Perumal Baba Manochahal warned our guns now defending him would be directed against him.
Baba Manhochahal declared that the first resolution the Singhs would pass would be in favour of Khalistan in the same way as the people of Latvia Estonia Lithuania and other Soviet Republics did.
Baba Manochahal further said that his own assessments were that India’s Brahmanic regime would not allow elections to be held on one or the other pretext. By delinking the Punjab poll from the rest of the country such an indication had already been given on one hand Delhi is offering to hold talks on the other it has mounted the army on Punjab.
Baba Manochahal put up a strong defence of Bhai Manjit Singh and said that he was merely implementing the decisions of the Panthic Committee. He said enlightened Sikhs were conscious about political wends and it was he (Baba Manochahal) who had first warned the Sikhs against the unprincipled moves of Simranjit Singh Mann It was again Baba Manochal who had set the record Straight on the confusion created by Mann’s slogan of self-determination he said.
Baba Manochahal at the end argued that several relations of certain militants (associated with Dr.Sohan Singh’s Panthic Committee) were contesting elections and were openly or secretly helping the contestants That showed the predicament of the Dr Sohan Singh led Panthic Committee. The Panthic Committee (Dr Sohan ‘Singh) on its part stated that it was in no hurry to give slogans and take advantage of those slogans. The attainment of the Sikh goal required a great deal of patience The main aim of the committee was to ensure that the concept of Khalistan was accepted by the Sikh nation. The committee would continue to fight for that goal. It did not accept the Indian Constitution and would not fight elections hold under it. It was wrong to call the committee’s decision as boycott of the election. One boycott something to voice a protest and once that grievance was redressed the protest by implication ends. That was not the case with the Panthic Committee. Its goal was clear and it would not rest until the attainment of that goal howsoever long and hazardous the struggle.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 3, 1991
