After 1984 Freedom, not just holy city status for Amritsar, is the core demand: says Dal Khalsa

Hoshiarpur: Joining issue with the AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on proposing to accord holy city status for Amritsar if AAP comes to power, the Dal Khalsa said it’s a calculated attempt aimed to exploit the sentiments of Sikhs to woo their votes in the upcoming Punjab assembly elections in 2017.

Party’s ex-president H S Dhami said the nomenclature of holy city status for Amritsar was first sought in 1980’s, which was not only rejected by the then government but also opposed by Hindu chauvinist groups including the BJP by giving it communal colour. It was one of the pressing demands included in the Anandpur Sahib resolution which was wrongly dubbed as secessionist document by the Indian establishment, said he.

Former Dal Khalsa president Harcharanjeet Singh Dhammi (R) [File Photo]

However, all political demands and issues changed once army attacked Darbar Sahib in 1984 and the edifice of Akal Takht was brought to rubble, a statement by Dal Khalsa reads.

“One thing is clear, after passing through a tumultuous period and sacrificing so many lives during the Sikh struggle, the demand of holy city status has been far left behind. The community has set its new agenda. For us, now the foremost issue is the independence of Punjab”, said Dhami taking a dig at politicians playing with emotions of people at the time of elections for their petty gains.

If present day politicians including Kejriwal think that they could win over the hearts of the Sikhs with such poll gimmicks, then they were highly mistaken, said he.