LUDHIANA, Punjab, India the Punjab Sikh Lawyer’s Council has termed as hallow the latest posture of the UAD leaders. Mr. DS. Gill, the General Secretary of the Council, in a statement said that the Dal leadership not Jong ago had refused to recognize the Panthic Committee, has of any ‘consequence in Sikh polities. The volte-face on the subject was most intriguing. The aim of the Akali leadership, Mr. Gill said, was to return to the Gaddis by making the people forget all the issues involved in the Punjab dispute, The main issues in Punjab are the same as had caused the Akali Dal to launch its Morcha in 1982. Instead of pressing for those issues relentlessly, the Akali Dal leadership had capitulated and had joined hands with the Centre against the very forces that were still continuing the Morcha, although in a somewhat different form. To cover its betrayal, the Dal leadership was projecting pointless issues such as the status of Prof. Darshan Singh. It they are really interested in reinstalling the Professor as Jathedar of the Akal Takht, let them call a Sarbat Khalsa at the ‘Akal Takht, Otherwise, they were free to use the services of Prof. Darshan Singh as President of the Unified Akali Dal.
Mr. Gill asked the Dal leadership not to come in confrontation with the struggling youth. This course would only make the Akali Leadership even more irrelevant than what they are today. Let the ‘Akali leaders give up their lust for power. They should struggle even in their own independent way to have the basic issues of Punjab settled, beginning with the issue of the digging of the SYL Canal, They must stop presenting nonissues. As far as ending fake encounters or release of the detained youths, the struggling Sikh youths are relevant enough to sort out these matters of their own. The ‘Akali leaders must not lose their sleep over these issues. He said.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 20, 1987
