AMRITSAR: Jagdev Singh Talwandi, president of the Akali Dal (Talwandi) said here that his party’s political demand was the implementation of the Anandpur Sahib resolution because no Akali Dal ever passed any resolution demanding Khalistan or a sovereign Sikh state.
Talwandi was addressing a press conference after speaking at a party conference which expressed its confidence in his leadership.
The party passed a resolution stating that unity among various Akali Dals was the need of the hour. It authorized Talwandi to initiate steps for bringing them together.
The resolution said that though the Sikh youth’s demand was much more than the Anandpur Sahib resolution but till the general house of the Akali Dal drafts some new program, “we should unitedly struggle for the attainment of the Anandpur Sahib resolution.” However, Talwandi clarified that it was the Sarbat Khalsa which, on January 26,1986 passed a resolution for the demand for Khalistan.
The resolution further said that for the implementation of the resolution, the Akalis should unitedly launch a struggle. The united struggle, the resolution explained, was to be launched immediately to stop the state repression let loose on Sikh youth.
The state was persecuting Sikhs and killing Sikh youth in fake encounters, the resolution emphasized. The conference passed even resolutions demanding withdrawal of the Army and security forces from Punjab. It urged the government to withdraw barricades and police deployment around the Golden Temple complex.
Through another resolution, conference condemned state government for imposing curbs on the press and use of TADA and other anti-people acts against newsmen,
Article extracted from this publication >> September 11, 1992
