NEW DELHI: Prime Minister VP Singh is understood to have told the president of the Unified Akali Dal, Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann during a secret two hour meeting here on Jan 10 that the restoration of peace in Punjab was the prime objective at this point and that he should help contain the violence quickly.
The meeting at 11:30 pm at the Lodi Estate residence of the PM ended on a hopeful note that a solution to the difficult problem would be found in a few weeks.
Following the meeting, the Punjab Governor NK Mukherjee was asked to send a detailed report on the situation in the state. He was also asked whether free and fair elections could be held in the state.
Mann was addressing public meetings when he received the PM’s invitation at 3 pm. He reached Chandigarh the same evening and travelled to Delhi by car. The Punjab Govt wanted him to go by the state plane but Mann declined. He reached Delhi at 11:30 pm and was with VP Singh till 1:30 am. He started back at 3 am.
The PM was keen to have a heart to heart talk on the problem. He had already spoken to Parkash Singh Badal and Surjeet Singh Barnala and these two had agreed to the Ludhiana rally while Mann had not. VP Singh was keen to know the compulsions of Mann in not attending particularly when) Devi Lal had “cleared the decks” for a boycott by the Congress I.
Mann assured VP Singh that he would be able to persuade the militants to come to terms with the changed situation. The two leaders agreed to meet again after Mann had talks with the militants.
CHANDIGARH: Akali Dal-M president S.S. Mann confirmed having met VP Singh on Tuesday. According to the Times Of India the meeting was in response to a long overdue invitation from the PM. Elaborating on the ideological breakthrough he claims he made with VP Singh, Mann said both of them had agreed that Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s genocidal policies, destruction of Sikhs culturally and destruction of Golden Temple as well other gurdwaras was the cause of the problem in Punjab. “I also explained to the PM that once the people understood this and the wrongs done are undone and all constitutional provisions implemented it would assuage the feelings of the Sikhs immediately. This would help achieve a political breakthrough towards devolution of power or autonomy for the states.”
Asked about the PM’s response on Punjab, Mann said we saw eye to eye on the issue. “His response was positive. He was both appreciative and sympathetic.” Raja Saib suggested we meet again.” Mann said although VP Singh’s response was positive, “his hands are tied by militants.” Mann said he would be happy to have the BJP on this plank as well. He said he was thinking of meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu to persuade him to denounce the genocide of Sikhs.
Mann also said he planned to construct a memorial in Calcutta to Nasality’s killed during Ray’s chief minister ship of Bengal “I might also hold a rally in Calcutta to protest against the genocide of Sikhs during Ray’s governorship of Punjab.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 19, 1990
