Whereas an agreement has been signed between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Longowal on behalf of Sikhs that Mr. Longowal is neither elected leader of Sikhs nor had any authority from the Sikhs in general to carry out any negotiations or sign any such agreement on their behalf.

The terms agreed upon in the above agreement had already been rejected by the Sikhs before the Indian Army attack on Golden Temple in June 1984. Whereas the past experience indicates that government appointed commissions have never done any justice to the Sikhs.

Whereas the reference of Ravi Beas water case to a tribunal is illegal according to the tribunal Act of India as neither Haryana nor Rajasthan is a riparian State. The case could only have been decided by the constitution bench of the Supreme Court.

Whereas sacred vows made by Longowal and other Akali leaders at Akal Takht to secure nothing less than complete acceptance of Anandpur Sahib Resolution for a settlement, have been broken by Akali leaders signing the above agreement.

Whereas tens of thousands of Sikh lives have been sacrificed, their property looted, their honor and dignity assaulted in the most barbaric and _inhuman ways, their holiest shrine damaged, looted and desecrated during attack on Golden Temple, and later on massacre of Sikhs in Delhi and other cities of India, to terrorize and demoralize Sikhs and to suppress genuine Sikh demands. By signing the above agreement, all sacrifices have been made in vain.

Whereas tens of thousands of innocent Sikhs are still rotting in jail and are waiting trial by draconian black laws in special courts.

Therefore Sikhs assembled here at Richmond Hill, New York, on July 28, 1985 resolve that:

  1. We reject this agreement, secretly maneuvered without taking Sikhs into confidence between Longowal and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, as_ illegal and immoral.
  2. We call upon Mr. Longowal and his colleagues who conducted above negotiations to resign from any position of self-appointed Sikh leadership because of their betrayal of Sikh cause.
  3. We support the stand taken by Baba Joginder Singh, Sikh intellectuals and other organizations upholding the Sikh cause.
  4. The struggle for obtaining full justice for the Sikhs will go on until all Sikh aspirations are fully met. ‘

Article extracted from this publication >>  August 2, 1985