Sikhs will never tolerate interference in their religious affairs by Delhi run parties – Sukhbir S Badal
Sikhs will never tolerate interference in their religious affairs by Delhi run parties – Sukhbir S Badal
(Urges people to unite under SAD, says seven years wasted with no development or infrastructure creation)
(Interacts with Adarsh school teachers and staff members who are on strike since 82 days)
Ferozepur, February 9 – Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Delhi run parties were not only interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikh community but were also taking over Sikh religious shrines which the quom would never tolerate.
The SAD president, who is leading the party’s Punjab Bachao Yatra which entered the Malwa region today to a rapturous welcome with thousands of vehicles and people lining up on both sides of the road here, said “we have earlier witnessed how the Shiromani Committee was broken to create a separate gurdwara committee for Haryana. The Delhi gurdwara committee, which comprises majority of members of the SAD, has also been taken over by vested interests to the detriment of the community. Now in another blow to the community the Maharashtra government has taken over control of the Sri Hazur Sahib Management board by increasing the strength of the nominated members from two to twelve”.
Asking the people whether the Maharashtra government would tell the Sikh community how to run their gurdwaras, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “the decision to reconstitute the Sri Hazur Sahib management board by amending the management board Act of 1956 is condemnable and will never be accepted by the Sikh community”.
Stating that all this had happened only after the SAD had been weakened politically; Mr Badal said “now the quom is facing the repercussions with even our gurughar being attacked”. Appealing to the people to strengthen the SAD which had always fought for the quom, Mr Badal “if the SAD is not returned to power no one will be able to save Punjab”.
Mr Badal also urged the people not to be misled by several ‘gaddar’ of the community who were masquerading as Sikh leaders but working to weaken Sikh institutions. “The community has paid a heavy price at the hands of such leaders. It is high time the Sangat realizes that true intent and shuns them”.
Urging Punjabis not to waste any more time, the SAD president said “seven years have already been wasted”. He said former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh befooled Punjabis with false oaths. “The present chief minister Bhagwant Mann came up with guarantees to secure your votes”. He said both the Congress and AAP regimes were wasted years for Punjab with development and infrastructure development coming to a complete stop even as social welfare benefits were withdrawn one from the other.
Mr Badal also interacted with teachers and staff of Adarsh Schools which were established by former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. The staff, which has been protesting since the last 82 days against denial of funds and facilities to the schools, told the SAD president that the chief minister had called them to Chandigarh for meetings repeatedly but had refused to meet them. Mr Sukhbir Badal while interacting with the teachers said the Adarsh School scheme, which visualized providing quality education free of cost to meritorious students was ahead of its time had received accolades world over. “It is condemnable that these schools are being denied funds”, he said adding “we will develop the schools to the next level once the SAD forms the government”.
Senior leaders Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Rohit Montu Vohra and Joginder Singh Jindu also accompanied the SAD president.
