:dateline:Contrary to other Indian mainstream political parties, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal, in its newly released manifesto for legislative assembly elections slated to be held on Dec 4, 2013, has addressed the concerns of minority communities residing in India�s national capital.
While promising to resolve the major issues of minority communities including Sikhs, AAP seemed to play to the aspirations and feelings of people belonging to minority groups, such as in section 31 where the Sikh Genocide in November 1984 is mentioned.
In this section, the party uses the term �Qatal-e-aam� (Massacre) unlike the other mainstream non-Sikh parties, including leftists, who claim to stand for the people but use words such as “riot”–if they speak of it–which negates the tremendous bloodshed during the genocide. This only increases the feelings of injustice within the SIkh community.
“Riots” means that people of both communities murdered each other and the numbers of victims of both are similar. Not only are political parties guilty of this, but the mainstream Indian media and the entire state machinery controlled by Hindutva supremacists has been propagating the term �riots�, so that the sins of Hindu terrorists can be covered up and they can be saved from the international justice system. Conscious Sikhs have been raising the issue before the international community and the campaign of getting the carnage recognised as �Genocide� is also the part of it.
Not only this, the AAP also seems to take up the issue of Sikh justice wholeheartedly as it states in the manifesto, the �pain of shameful massacre committed in 1984 prevails in the minds of Sikhs even today.�
The party promised in the manifesto that the �Government of Aam Admi Party (1) would try to bring perpetrators of Sikh carnage 1984 to book. The cases which were closed unjustifiably would be reviewed. (2) There are certain cases, which were not probed properly and statements were not taken from all witnesses. In all such cases, it would be tried to deliver justice to the victims. (2) Victims of 1984 carnage are residing [in] colonies like Tilak Vihar. Condition of such colonies is too bad. Homes are collapsing and their ceilings are destroying. There is no school for children, no hospital and no employment. AAP would try for rehabilitation of the residents living in such conditions.�
In addition to this, AAP has promised to give the status of second languages to Punjabi and Urdu practically as, �AAP would respect rights of �lingual minorities living in Delhi and take steps in this direction: (1) Urdu and Punjabi have been given status of second languages on papers but now these would be given same practically. (2) Urdu and Punjabi would be taught as optional subjects in government school at Delhi. Vacancies of concerned teachers would be filled in the educational institutes controlled under Delhi government. (3) Arrangements of studying, teaching and research of Punjabi & Urdu would be made in Ambedker and Inderprasth university too.�
In relation to the Muslim community, AAP has given assurance to stop incidents of framing innocent Muslim people into false cases in the name of terrorism.
The manifesto said, �If any policeman frames the innocent one into false case, solid action would be taken against him. Those Muslim guys were arrested on suspect, would be prosecuted. If anybody�s offence is proved, he would be punished, but innocents would not go behind the bars.�
A few months ago, AAP Senior leader Parshant Bhushan, senior advocate of the Indian apex court,� gave a statement advocating the referendum in Kashmir which was strongly criticized by Hindu supremacists and once, he faced a brutal attack in his own chamber from Hindu terrorists.
