PATIALA: Shiromani Gurdwar: Committee (SGPC) president Gurcharan Singh Tohra while addressing the Akali workers meeting here last week to acquaint them with the prospects of having made a poll pact with the Bahujan Samaj Party said that this would benefit both the parties. He called this a historic pact which would help the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and BSP win all the 13 parliamentary seats in Punjab.

Explaining further, Tohra said that the Congress would be completely routed from Punjab as the Akali BSP alliance had generated anti Congress feeling. Thus the Congress would find it very difficult to secure votes at the Brass roots level.

The agreement with the BSP was a positive sign and the need of the hour for both the parties, the SGPC chief $aid and urged the party workers to ‘work untidily forgetting all the personal differences and help BSP candidates to win all the four seats left to them.

Tohra said the fight in the ensuing election was for regaining the lost honor at the hands of the Congress (Rao) during the past 10 years. He said that each section whether journalists, intellectuals, farmers, workers of politicians were humiliated and insulted by the police whose action was condoned and supported by the ruling Congress party.

Talking about election funds, Tohra said that the Congress had millions of rupees acquired through corruption while the Akali Dal was poor, He ‘urged the workers to collect Rs 5,000 each from large villages and Rs2,500 from small villages. He stated that as the Supreme Court had ordered an explanation on expenditure on electioneering, account o| penny ‘Spent be maintained.

He also gave stem orders that workers should neither consume alcohol nor offer it to anybody till April 27,

While introducing Prem Singh Chandumajra, former minister, who is the party’s candidate from Patiala, Tohra called him an honest leader, He said the two CBI inquiries conducted against him in 1986 failed to indict him, He was in fact punished for having taken stand in the cabinet against grant of extension to J.L.F. Robciro, then director general of police.

Tohra advised the workers to form a two member electioneering committee in each village with members from Dalit Community two non-Sikhs, two schedule castes and a few farmers.

Meanwhile, in Jalandhar, The ongoing in fighting among the factions of All India Sikh Students Federation (Badal) is still unabated as a group of federation leaders comprising Chet Singh Daulenangal, vice president, Bhai Ranjit Singh Rana, organizing ‘Secretary, and others have urged the Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal and AISSF president Harminder Singh Gill to remove Aviaar Singh Boparai, the patron, and senior leader Manjit Singh Bhoma for their “ant federation activities.”

The federation leaders at a press conference here alleged that both the leaders were issuing statements airing their personal views despite a warning by Karnail Singh Pir Mohammed, chairman of the disciplinary committee of the AISSF,

While demanding a ticket for Bhai Manjit Singh from Taran Taran Parliamentary seat, Daulenangal expressed concern that Parkash Singh.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 3, 1996