TALWANDI SABO, Punjab—In a message sent through Bhai Pardeep Singh Chandpura, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Bhai Baljit Singh Daduwal on Sturday made an appeal to the Panthik organizations who played leading role in organizing Sarbat Khalsa in November, 2015, to not contest the Khadoor Sahib by-poll slated for February 13.
He said there is ‘Jungle Raj’ in Punjab, and nobody follows the laws. In his message shared with Sikh24, he questioned, “Is raising voice against misuse of Sikh institutions, struggling for the arrest of accused of ‘beadbi’ of Guru Granth Sahib and calling ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ for solution of Panthik issues an act of sedition?”
“According to Badal family, all that is act of sedition. That is why Jathedars and top Sikh leadership are being kept behind the bars”, he added.
“Badal government is going to use all of the state’s powers to win the Khadoor Sahib by-poll. In this case, contesting the bypoll is not worthwhile for the any other party.”
“Particularly, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and United Akali Dal should not field their candidate for this by-poll, nor they support anyone”, he added.
Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and United Akali Dal To Decide on By-Poll by January 25
Both organizations that played the leading role in organizing ‘Sarbat Khalsa’ held on November 10, 2015 at village Jhabba, Amritsar Sahib, will be taking decision about Khadoor Sahib by-poll on January 25. Both group, along with other sprinter Akali Dal groups are meeting here to carry out march across the assembly segment on January 25 and 26.
“The march will begin from Khadoor Sahib town on January 25. After passing through all the villages of the segment, it would be concluded at Sri Goindwal Sahib on January 26. This procession will be carried out to survey the mind of the voters. We will examine all the related aspects and take the decision only after that. It is not sure that we are to contest the bypoll in every case. Our decision may differ from it in view of the ground situation,” he said.
He made it clear that in case they do not field their own candidate, they would not support any other candidate either. “Apart from Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), United Akali Dal (UAD), Shiromani Akali Dal (1920), Shiromani Akali Dal (Sawtantar) as well as heads of various Sikh sects would also participate in the march”, he added.
Expressing views of Bhai Baldeep Singh who is contesting the bypoll as an independent candidate, he said he (Baldeep Singh) was an outsider and did not know the ground realities here.
He admitted that their path is not easy as the government was committing atrocities on them and pressing their political dissent. He said their top leaders and three Jathedars have been jailed by the government.
The problem here is despite the rigging of the electoral system the likes of the Badals and RSS Harinder will still trumpet that the Akali Dal have ‘won’ the by-poll election (even though no opposition is making a striking political statement that they can have no legitimate mandate) and steadfastly use such a pernicious technicality to claim this gives them legal authority to continue arresting and abusing the rights of Sikhs. The former CM Beant used his 10% vote (despite Panthic parties refusing to participate in elections) to wage a war of terror against Sikh youth (fake encounters, kidnapping, torture, false arrests, extra judicial killings, disappearances and mass disposal of victims bodies et al) and the Badals are similarly inclined to please their Hinduvta masters to indulge their life of privilege (they own cable, PTC Punjabi, Orbit Resorts Pvt, Orbit Aviation Pvt Ltd, hotels and various transport company concessions making them crore upon crore). Few days back, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Jagir Kaur Badal said mortgaging the mental asylum in PUnjab (putting more money into her family’s back pockets) was not a big deal as the state did not have any mentally challenged patients! All it takes for evil to prosper like this is for good men (and women) to stand by and do nothing.