Capt Amarinder seeks judicial probe; asks Badals to clarify stand on Sahajdharis

Sunday, 04/09/2011

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110904/punjab.htm#3

CHANDIGARH, September 4: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today asked the Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Badal to clarify their stand about the Sahajdhari Sikhs. Capt Amarinder asked, “let you tell people of Punjab whether you consider them Sikhs or not and if yes why are you opposed to their voting rights for SGPC”.

Reacting to the statement of Sukhbir, Capt Amarinder remarked, it only vindicated his stand that the father-son duo have lost their mental balance. “Otherwise why should they first ask him questions and answer these themselves”. He pointed out, “first they wanted a CBI inquiry into the Sahajdhari voting issue and when I endorsed their demand, they are asking me to use my influence to get a judicial probe done”. Capt Amarinder asked, “why should I as it is you who wanted a probe and I endorsed it”. At the same time, he added, “I will welcome the judicial probe provided it probes the role of all of us, me, Badal and Sukhbir to find out the truth and let Badal write and recommend to the Prime Minister to appoint a judicial commission for that”.

Coming back to the issue of voting rights for Sahajdharis, he pointed out, SGPC is the apex parliament of Sikhs. “How can you claim to represent the apex parliament when you deny more than half of the Sikh voters their franchise?” he asked, while pointing out, of the 1.22 crore total Sikh voters, 62 lakhs have been excluded from the SGPC elections on the pretext of being Sahajdharis and others. Capt Amarinder told Sukhbir and his father that they were not the sole guardians of the Sikh community. “Do you mean the only Sikhs in Punjab are those who vote for you?” he asked, while warning them, “you can’t survive in the security of your parochial cocoon you are living in, for a long time”.

He pointed out, earlier also during the Punjabi Suba movement Akalis in sole pursuit of their sectarian and parochial agenda pressed for the breakup of Punjab into three states. “Earlier they weakened Punjab politically, socially and economically as well and now they are trying to repeat the same mistake by breaking up the Sikh religion for their own vested interests to have control over SGPC”, he warned Reacting to Sukhbir’s charge about his stakes in SGPC elections, he asserted, “unlike you I have no stakes in SGPC elections. Your political survival depends on SGPC that probably explains your brazen double standards of claiming to be secular with the Election Commission of India and religious with the Gurdwara election Commission”. It is a rare instance in the history of the country where someone can proclaim double standards under oath, he remarked, while pointing out that at both places the Akalis have submitted separate affidavits under oath mentioning themselves to be secular party at one place and religious at the other.

On the issue of defending the Sahajdharis’ rights, he remarked, “yes I am proud of defending the Sahajdharis rights as they are as much, rather more Sikhs than you are”.

Rejecting the charges of having influenced former Punjab Advocate General Harbhagwan Singh, Capt Amarinder told Sukhbir, “unlike you, I don’t use and abuse my advocates general not even while in power not to speak of when out of power. You think the way you and your father used and abused Mattewal everybody would be doing that. I pity your mindset”.

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