GURDASPUR: The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, has exhorted the people to be ready to face the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Punjab because of instability at the Center due to divergent views being expressed by various constituents and inner party dissensions in the Punjab Congress. Addressing a large gathering at Sri Hargobindpur near here July 15th, after inaugurating Sobha Singh Memorial Library, he reminded the people that as per the past experience, the Congress would withdraw support to the H.D. Deve Gowda government at the Center at an opportune time.

Tohra justified the Akali Dal (B) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in view of anti-Congress stance of both the Parties. Moreover, the BJP government at Delhi sincerely worked to bring to book the guilty of 1984 riots. SM many as nine persons involved in riots were ordered to be hanged and seven were awarded life imprisonment, he said. He said an Akali BJP alliance in the state would strengthen Hindu Sikh unity. He said the Akali Dal was a staunch votary of communal Recent Lok Sabha elections were pointer in this direction because people from all elections of society voted for the dal candidates, he added. Tohra ridiculed BSP supremo Akali victory in eight Lok Sabha constituencies in the state. He said that BSP success in Punjab owed much to Akali support. Referring to the tall claims made by the Akali Dal (Panthic), Akali Dal (Mann) and’ various other groups who had allied together to contest the coming SGPC polls, slated for October, Tohra said these political “tiny tots” would be exposed after results of SGPC elections. He said that many such groups contested the SGPC elections in the past against the official candidates of Akali Dal but were humbled by the electorate. It should not be forgotten that candidates of these parallel groups forfeited their security deposits in the Lok Sabha polls held recently, he added. Referring to Simranjit Singh Mann, Tohra said he was not competent to lead the Sikh community and was an opportunist. In 1985, Sikhs overwhelmingly supported Mann but he wasted his stat by beating about them: bash, be added. He said Mint went to receive Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda at the Raja Sansi airport during the latter’s visits to Amritsar recently not with any other motive but to seek berth in the central cabinet for himself. Contesting the claim of Balwant Singh Ramoowalia being a representative of Sikhs in the central cabinet, Tohra said that Ramoowalia should contest from Punjab to prove his credentials.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 17, 1996