AMRITSAR SAHIB, Punjab—Uncertainty still prevails on whether Ramanjit Singh Sikki will be contesting Khadoor Sahib by-poll slated for Feb 13, despite Congress leadership having officially announced his name. Only one day is left for filling of nomination papers as January 27 is the deadline.
Shakeel Ahmad, Congress general secretary in-charge for Punjab officially announced Sikki’s name on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, it is yet to be finalized whether Ramanjit Singh Sikki who resigned from the post of MLA in protest against sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib in a Tarn Taran village, will be filling nomination papers before the deadline, told by sources that are very close to him, while speaking to Sikh24 on phone.
The Sikh24 correspondent spoke to the sources on evening today and till that uncertainty prevailed. “The final decision would be taken on night today”, they said, adding, “If Sikki’s candidature is finalized, he will take leave from Sri Darbar Sahib Amritsar tomorrow for an hour for filling the papers and without calling any gathering, he would submit his papers in very informal way.”
The uncertainty has also been confirmed by Sikki’s political mentor, Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjit Singh who said he (Sikki) would file the papers if Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh asks him to.
“We have the nomination papers ready. All depends on our state chief. If he asks him to contest and go to Khadoor Sahib, he would take a leave from his seva and do so,” he said.
Whereas Amarinder Singh on Monday said, “Definitely there is a rethinking in this regard. Sikki’s hesitation to contest based on the logic that the grounds on which he had resigned still exists.”
Sikki is incommunicado owing to his month long seva (voluntary service) at Sri Darbar Sahib. He said he could not leave the Darbar Sahib till January 31.
How can you take ‘leave’ from seva? And it is for one hour because your political boss tells you to? And you are doing it to file nomination papers to make you a candidate for an election for a job you resigned out of protest for the sacrilege down against Sri Guru Granth Sahib? And the reason why you resigned remains unresolved? So nothing has actually changed except that you resigned out of principles, committed yourself to doing seva out of principle to protest and raise awareness in the political elite and will be taking leave from seva out of principles (for one hour). What the hell kind of principles is this?! You can’t take leave from seva and if you did the boss you should be asking permission from should surely be Waheguru Himself NOT Congress Leader Amarinder Singh! I gave you benefit of the doubt Sikka and said I was ready to apologise if I had misjudged your character and you think you are going to make me and the Sikhs fool now? You are either pregnant or not pregnant – you can’t be both at the same time. Same thing with seva – you are either doing it genuinely or not – none of this taking ‘leave’ slight of hand to try and win sympathies from Sikh electorate for taking a principled stand against sacrilege against Guru Granth Sahib. Choose Sikka – it is either your faith or your job – you can’t keep both.