Hoshiarpur, Punjab: In the backdrop of the BJP failing to get a single seat in the Muslim dominated Kashmir valley, the Dal Khalsa today castigated the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and other splinter Sikh groups for allowing the Hindutva party to have a field day in Punjab.
In a statement, party head H S Dhami said Muslims of Kashmir have shown the BJP its right place by rejecting all 33 candidates fielded by it in the valley. Ironically, the Sikhs of Punjab had allowed the BJP to strengthen its electoral base in the state courtesy the Badals.
Harcharanjit Singh Dhami (President, Dal Khalsa)
Dal Khalsa leader was of the view that ‘to safeguard their community’s interest, the Muslims of Kashmir were better aware and alert than Sikhs of Punjab, although both the communities had faced hardships, discriminations and politics of genocide played by Indian political establishment.
It is pertinent to mention here that like pro-freedom groups in Kashmir, the Dal Khalsa too didn’t participate in electoral process in Punjab.
The RSS – the mother of the BJP- has intensified efforts to influence Sikh vote bank by deliberately touching upon the sensitive issues that were dear to Sikhs, said he. “The BJP’s move to support the release of Sikh detainees who had completed their jail term, transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab, managing return of handful of families from Christianity to Sikhi fold and setting up of panel to look into the possibility of forming the SIT to probe 1984 carnage related cases, are clearly aimed to make foothold in Sikh Samaj”, he asserted.
“Cautioning the Sikh population of Punjab not to fall prey in the beautiful trap of Hindutva party, he said they should be prepared to wage next phase of struggle against nefarious designs of the RSS”.
Dal Khalsa leader slammed Parkash Singh Badal for his remarks that former jail minister Sarwan Singh Phillaur resigned on his own when his son was summoned by ED and that Majithia has not offered to resign on his own so he (Badal) would not ask for it either. Reminding Senior Badal that there was sea of difference in both the cases, he said “Like Majithia, Phillaur is neither brother-in-law of Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal nor brother of Union Minister Harsimrat Badal. Hence, he had no option but to succumb under pressure and give up his ministry”, he remarked.
Castigating the Badals for their double standards, he said while on one hand the SAD was pursuing the Centre to amend article 25 (b) (2) of the Indian constitution that clubs Sikhs with Hindus, on the other it had engineered a move kill the Nanakshahi calendar by reverting to Bikrami to appease Nanaksar Samparda.
Nanakshahi calendar is the manifestation of separate Sikh identity and killing it would mean causing set back to efforts to get honourable recognition to distinct Sikh identity.