CHANDIGARH: The first rumblings of dissent to the ‘unanimous’ decision at the Sikh conclave Sunday to boycott elections have been raised within 24 hours. The Akali Dal (Mann) alleged that the resolution passed at Anandpur Sahib Sunday was not binding as the two main organisations the Damdami Taksal and the panthic committee (Manochahal) had not attended the meeting.
The Akali Dal (Mann) was one of the 36 organisations which had agreed to the ‘boycott call.
Sources said other moderate Akali factions would also try to wriggle out. The clause requiring them to endorse this resolution is being seen as “an escape hatch”. These Akali leaders admit that they are against the decision and ascribe it to the “arm-twisting™ tactics of the former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra and the various organisations sympathetic to the militants cause.
The president of the Akali Dal (panthic) Capt.Amarinder Singh was the most vociferous opponent of the boycott call Sunday. “It was a virtual surrender of the moderate Akali forces” was how another Akali leader viewed the meeting.
Sources said Capt.Amarinder Singh had raised the issue of the killings of innocents by Sikh militants at the meeting. He is reported to have said that while he could understand the bandh call in protest against the killing of Balwinder Singh Jatana’s relatives (a Babbar Khalsa militant) ““What about the innocent persons killed every day by militants? Have we ever issued a bandh call in protest against them?” he is reported to have asked.
Others who supported him were the Akali Dal (Mann) general secretary Sucha Singh Chottepur the Akali Dal (B) president Prakash Singh Badal and the Akali Dal (L) general secretary Manjit Singh Khaira.
Sunday’s meeting witnessed a fisticuff between the proteges of Tohra Sher Singh
Article extracted from this publication >> September 6, 1991
