KAPURTHALA, Punjab—Veteran activist Jathedar Narinder Singh Khusropur has been nominated to run from his native assembly constituency of Kapurthala by the Panthik Front – a coalition of some Sikh organizations, primarily under Simranjit Singh Mann’s Shiromani Akali Dal. He is renowned for his work on ground level in his constituency and is a Sarpanch (village chief) of his village. After being inspired by Sant Jarnail Singh Ji Khalsa Bhindranwale in 1981, he spent his entire life fighting for the Sikh sovereignty in the armed, as well as in political form.
During the state-wide desecration episode of October-2015, he made ‘Akali’ leaders like Bibi Jagir Kaur and Bibi Upinderjit Kaur turn and run from the Gurdwara Sahib of Kapurthala after verbally challenging them both and their party. He was however indicted under section 307 (attempted murder) of the India Penal Code by the District Police along with other 21 Sikh & Hindu activists for blatantly attacking the Akali leaders on October 23, 2015.
He was interviewed by Sikh24 today. A brief presentation of this talk is as follows:
Question: How are you feeling after having nominated by the Panthik Front?
Answer: I feel it is my good fortune that I have been fielded from my native constituency Kapurthala, where I have spent my whole life while preaching and serving for the cause of the Sikh nation. I am thankful to SAD (Amritsar) President S. Simranjit Singh Mann who has given me a chance to contest the poll from this assembly segment.
Question: The presiding MLA of Kapurthala constituency Rana Gurjit Singh is financially secured candidate of Congress. Badal led SAD could erect a candidate against Rana Gurjit Singh by betting millions of rupees as they have enough election funds. But why did you choose to take risk of contesting against him despite the fact that your party SAD (Amritsar) is not financially sound?
Answer: Look, I have spent my whole life while fighting for the Sikh Sovereignty. It is true that contesting elections these days is a matter of money but it doesn’t mean we should quit. Guru Sahibans (Sikh masters) have always taught us to keep fighting for truth until the last breath even if you don’t have enough resources to fight against evil.
Starting from 1981, I kept on fighting for Sikh Sovereignty till the end of 1993. I was arrested, tortured, threatened and jailed numerous times during the armed Sikh struggle. If the Indian government couldn’t make me sit at that time then what can a financially sound candidate do against me and my faith.
Question: Your constituency Kapurthala has nearly an equal proportion of Hindu and Sikh constituents. It would be a tough task for candidate like you, who belongs to a staunch Khalistani party SAD (Amritsar), to attract a Hindu vote bank. How will you manage to tackle it?
Answer: It is true that I am District President of SAD (Amritsar) from Kapurthala which is renowned for it’s blunt stand on Sikh issues. But the constitution of our party is a plaintiff of equality among all religions and justice to the needy and meek.
While working at ground level in my constituency, I have always followed basic tenets of my party’s ideology, that is why a major section of local Hindu community extends support to me.
We are committed to the Sikh faith but it doesn’t mean that we are in the business of forcing someone to quit his religion and join ours.
We are tools for justice for the needy and meek, but mainstream media always project us in negative manner under a highly deliberated policy, using words like ‘ultra’, ‘radical’, ‘communal’, and ‘hardliners’ etc.
Question: What are the issues in your constituency you are going to rake up in these polls?
Answer: My constituency Kapurthala is facing a severe crisis on nearly every front. Problems like drugs and pollution have engulfed the entire constituency.
People living adjacent to the Black canal flowing near Kala Sangha village has made the people’s lives worst there. Liquid waste of the leather industry is being thrown directly into the canalm due to which agricultural land is becoming barren day by day and the ground water is also not left worth drinking. Paint of the nearby houses gets fades within six months despite using good quality paint.
Question: Mostly, the constituencies led by Akali legislators are blamed for the drug’s menace but you have said that your constituency (led by a Congress legislator) is also suffering from this. Will you please elaborate?
Answer: Yes, it is true that my constituency is also facing problem of the drugs menace. It is not necessarily the involvement of an MLA is always directly involved in the issue. Sometimes, legislators let the menace go on in their constituencies for very specific reasons and don’t even let the drug peddlers realize that they were aware of their crime.
Finally, our own resident MLA Rana Gurjit Singh’s own business is to produce liquor, how could he ask others to avoid drugs?
Question: Would you like to convey any message via Sikh24?
Answer: I appeal to all masses of Punjab and other countries to come and join us in our struggle for Sikh sovereignty. The historical culture of Sikhs is on a verge of crisis due to the uncontrolled drug epidemic and state sponsored oppression.
We are sacrificing our comfortable lives but recognition of our efforts is in your hands.
Anyone interested in joining our election campaign can contact us on +91-896-881-2282.
It is better not to have industry that spews poison in the environment .
Our pollution control board are ineffective as you can see the fate of river Ganges.
Health of people should never by at the cost of money.
If good health is there he will make wealth .
SAY NO TO :–
1) DRUGS
2) ALCOHOL
3) SMOKING
You would get rid of the leather industry which employs millions of families in the country because it spews poison in the environment? Tell me would you do as much to stop the cremation and bathing / defecating practices at Varanasi which are the number one source of polluting the Ganga?
Leather industry uses chromium which is a level -1 Carcinogen .
Half the population of UP and Bihar have an elevated level of Chromium in there blood.
Let only clean and non polluting industries in your neighbor hood.
Keep drug cartels and liquor Barons at a distance they are damaging our youth and earning members of societies.
As for Nations they are made and broken by EMPIRES .
‘Keep drug cartels and liquor Barons at a distance they are damaging our youth and earning members of societies.’ I do not think you are being loyal to the Badals and their servant Majithia (suspected greatest drug lord in Punjab) by suggesting that there is drug or alcohol problem in Punjab let alone that the Sikh jawans should keep away from it. As for leather industry and pollution I agree it is high time for nationwide culling of cows which are a massive pollution problem (industrial scale emissions of methane are produced by the number of cows roaming the streets as well as public health and danger to vehicles and pedestrians they pose). The less cows should mean they will be valued more as a commodity and leather industry will then invest in better working practices.