JALANDHAR: The pro-boycott group of Akalis is trying to get a boycott call issued from the Akal Takht.
I was learned that the idea to associate the supreme scat of the Sikh religion-temporal authority to sway the public opinion on the boycott issue was discussed at a meeting of the Badal Mann and Baba factions of the Akali Dal held at the Model town Gurdwara here on Sunday. Leaders of the tree factions from Jalandhar Kapurthala Hoshiarpur Amritsar and Gurdaspur district attended the meeting.
Asked who among the three Jathodars of the Akal Takht would be requested to issue such an appeal the Akali sources said modalities of getting such an appeal issued are yet to be finalized. The SGPC-appointed jathedar Ranjit Singh is in Tihar jail and Baba Gurbachan Singh Manochahal is underground.
Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode who had been removed by the SGPC still claim she is the jathedar of the Akal Takht
The sources said that an appeal for boycotting elections could be issued by an acting jathedar also and will carry the same authority as that ofthe jathedar However could not be ascertained from the Akali sources who are the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht these days.
The proposal that leaders of the four Akali factions and two group of Sikh Students Federations who jointly took the decision to boycott the polls could jointly issue an appeal for boycotting the polls was also noted at the January 17 meeting, the source said
Article extracted from this publication >> February 7, 1992