AMRITSAR: The Akali Dal (Mann) chief, Simcanjit Singh Mann, has once again asserted that his party will not align with the traditional Akali Leadership and will not compromise on anything less than the Amritsar declaration.

Mann, who was addressing party conference at Kathunangal near here, alleged that leaders like Prakash Singh Badal and Gurcharan Singh Tohra were bartering the interests of the Sikhs and were not acting in the interest of the community. He said both Badal and Tohra were running away from the Akal Takht. He said the agenda that was decided at the Akal Takht was not being followed and there was a conspiracy to feet him out of the way.

Mann alleged that the acting jathedar of the Akal Takht was also trying to create misunderstandings and alleged that he had also fallen prey to the “dirty politics of Badal and Tohra.”

He cautioned the Punjabis in general and the Sikhs in particular against being misled by the false propaganda” of the traditional Akalis and expressed apprehension that if they came to power, they would be even more corrupt than the present government in Punjab.

At the same time, he announced that his party would start its poll ‘campaign for the forthcoming elections on its own in the state.

The Akali leader said he was sure that any government that would be formed with the help of the Bharatiya Janata Party would not be able to protect the interests of cither the Sikhs or the state Mann said the Badal group had repeatedly ignored his party in the elections, first at Gidderbaha and then in election to the Delhi Gurdwara’ Management Committee.

It was decided at the conference that all attempts would be made at grass root levels to revive the party that had suffered during the unity process. The first meeting in this regard would be held at Ludhiana on August 18.

The senior Akali leader also appealed to the United State President not to hand over the deputy chief of Khalistan Liberation Force, Daya Singh Sandhu, to Indian authorities.

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 18, 1995