AMRITSAR: The Akal Federation has resolved to reorient the Sikh struggle in accordance with the Sikh principles, with the Akal Takht as the pivotal authority.
In a policy statement issued here Wednesday, the federation convener, Bhai Mahinder Singh, and the general secretary, Bhai Sarwan Singh, said efforts would be made to give the struggle the form of a people’s movement after pulling it out of the quagmire of families, factions and in situations. The need of the hour was to centralize the struggle around the temporal authority of the Panth Akal Takht to achieve the goal, they said.
The federation would organize the Sikh youth power and provide a principled platform for attaining the “haleemi raj” in accordance with the “Khalsa traditions”. The Sikh youth would be weaned from the Politics of factionalism and vested interests.
The statement said the federation would set up its units in schools, colleges and in each block and district of Punjab to infuse for new ideologies among the youth. The “gurmat training camps would be organized to focus the struggle under the aegis of the Akal Takht.
The federation appealed to the three claimants to the post of Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh, Babe Gurbachan Singh Manochahal and Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode to with draw in the larger interests of the Panth and clear the way for the appointment of a unanimously acceptable Jethedar.
Holding that the federation had always been a votary of the Panth unity, the statement clarified that the unity could not be achieved without giving up the lust for power.
LUDHIANA: The Sikh Students Federation (Mehta Chawla) has regretting the controversy between the Panthic Committee (Dr. Sohan Singh) and the Babbar Khalsa International over the unity of the Sikh Panth under the joint action committee set up by the SGPC chief, Baldev Singh Sibia.
Amarjit Singh Chawla, general secretary of the federation, said here on Wednesday the traditional Sikh leadership had forfeited the right to lead the Panth and was equally responsible for the present crisis in the state as was the government and other opposition parties.
At a meeting with Sibia and the Babbar Khalsa leaders, Bhai Barjinder Singh and Bhai Labh Singh, the federation made it clear that unity was possible only if Sant Bhindranwales principles were followed.
Chawla alleged that the traditional Sikh leadership wanted to use the unity plank for the revival of its lost leadership.
He appealed to Simranjt Singh Mann, Justice Ajit Singh Bains and Ajmer Singh Lakhowal to lead the Sikhs at this juncture.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 11, 1991
