The Hindu : Other States / Punjab News : Badal warns Congress over SGPC polls

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Wednesday, Jun 23, 2004

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Badal warns Congress over SGPC polls

By Our Staff Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 22. The Shiromani Akali Dal chief, Parkash Singh Badal, today warned Congress leaders both in the Union and State Governments to keep their hands off the religious affairs of the Sikhs. He accused the Punjab Government of openly interfering in the conduct of free and fair poll to the religious body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, where polling is scheduled for July 11.

The State administration had been given a single-point agenda to ensure that the verdict of the genuine devout Sikh Sangat is distorted or sabotaged.

He even referred to a "very dangerous game plan of the Congress'' and said that the entire operation was being personally planned, directed and supervised by Capt. Amarinder Singh, using the State home department in a most shameless manner.

Mr. Badal claimed that the Chief Minister had a penchant for resorting to misuse of the "brutal might of the state and ill-gotten wealth'' to fight his political rivals. However, even during the Lok Sabha elections, this twin menace had failed to save the Chief Minister from reaping the harvest of his complete alienation from the people.

The SGPC elections, which have a strong moral and religious component both in its character and its conduct, are likely to expose the hollowness of Captain Amarinder Singh's approach to politics and polity. The Akali veteran said that the ruling party was not only playing with fire but was also seriously endangering peace and harmony in the region.

"They have persistently tried the same thing over a long period of time and the events of the 1984 were direct consequence of this dangerous and foul ambition of the Congress. They had better stay away from Sikh religious scene or be prepared to pay a heavy price for it,'' he added.

According to a party release here today, Mr. Badal's warning came as he sounded the bugle for his party's campaign for the forthcoming elections to the apex body that manages historic shrines and runs various educational institutions in the Sstates of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Mr. Badal called for a decisive mandate from the Khalsa Panth against the Congress, whom he accused of waging a proxy war to gain control of the holy Sikh shrines.

The Sikhs have made unparalleled sacrifices to get the democratic right to manage their holy shrines.

"But the Congress leaders before and after Independence had worked consistently to undo this achievement and gain backdoor entry in the internal affairs of the Sikh community,'' he said.

After inaugurating the central campaign office of the Akali Dal at Jalandhar, Mr. Badal said that the ruling party was resorting to its weather-beaten ploy to confront the Khalsa Panth through dummy candidates.

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