The Tribune – Sikh clergy honours Beant killer Rajoana; SGPC chief lays foundation stone of Bluestar Memorial

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 6. The Sikh high priests today bestowed the title of ‘Zinda Shaheed’ (living martyr) on Balwant Singh Rajoana, convicted for the assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at the Akal Takht here.

The clergy led by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh presented a plaque, a shawl, a ‘siropa’ and a sword to Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur, Rajoana’s sister, who received the title on his behalf. However, the title was not conferred in the main ceremony, but a couple of hours before it.

Similarly, in an apparent bid to avoid confrontation with “disgruntled” radical groups, the Sikh clergy and SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar laid the foundation stone of the Operation Bluestar Memorial in the basement adjoining Gurdwara Thara Sahib in the Golden Temple Complex much before the main programme.

The development took many by surprise since the SGPC had on May 20 held a special ceremony for the launch of ‘kar sewa’ of the memorial. In his address, Giani Gurbachan Singh said the memorial would inspire generations of Sikhs. He also felicitated relatives of those killed in the Army operation. Among them were Isher Singh, son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Gurmeet Kaur, wife of Bhai Amrik Singh, and Bibi Pyar Kaur, mother of Indira Gandhi’s assassin Satwant Singh.

Later, replying to a media query regarding former CM Captain Amarinder Singh’s opposition to the memorial, Makkar said, “He should not question construction of the memorial. But if he intends to, then he must first explain why he quit the Congress after the Army operation at the Golden Temple in 1984.” The Captain’s mindset has changed after he joined the Congress, he said.

Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh also wondered how the memorial would disturb peace in the state. “The Congress had attacked the Golden Temple and, therefore, the Captain’s criticism is neither strange nor relevant,” he added.

Differences among Sikh groups over the Operation Bluestar Memorial came to the fore today. SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjeet Singh Mann led the opposition and lashed out at the SGPC for handing over ‘kar sewa’ of the memorial to Damdami Taksal Chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa.

Addressing a gathering in front of the Akal Takht, he said the Damdami Taksal was no longer the same organisation once led by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. “The Taksal today is openly conniving with the RSS, the BJP and its agent, the SAD,” he alleged.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120607/main3.htm

The Tribune – Mann claims he ordered pro-Khalistan T-shirts

Mohit Khanna, Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 23. Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann today said he had placed the order for T-shirts that carried the name and image of Khalistan ideologue Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Hondh-Chillar whistleblower Manwinder Singh, meanwhile, denied having any link with the pro-Khalistani T-shirts seized by the Ludhiana police recently.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president said, “Why to harass Manwinder. I have placed the order for the T- shirts.

Bhindranwale is my hero.”

He said the trader was not selling weapons but simply making T-shirts. “The police has unnecessarily exaggerated the issue by showing that the T-shirt maker was indulging in anti- national activities,” he said.

Levelling allegations on the police, Mann said, “If the police seized the T-shirts due to security reasons, then why the activists were allowed to showcase the T-shirts and given the opportunity of grabbing political mileage.”

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111224/punjab.htm#14

The Hindu – Anger at Advani in Golden Temple

For his comments in support of ‘Operation Blue Star’ in his book

Special Correspondent

Chandigarh, 16 November 2011. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani continued to face angry protests on the third day of his Jan Chetna Yatra in Punjab, when activists from different Akali factions and radical organisations raised slogans as he visited the holiest Sikh shrine, Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar on Tuesday.

The heavy deployment of civilian clothes-clad security personnel within the “parkarma” (path for circumambulation) notwithstanding, protesters vented their anger against Mr. Advani, who was accompanied by his wife Kamala and daughter Pratibha, for his controversial comments in support of “Operation Blue Star” in his book,My Country My Life.

Slogans raised

Activists of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by their president Simranjit Singh Mann raised slogans against Mr. Advani and in favour of Khalistan at various places in parkarma, near the Akal Takht and outside the shrine complex.

Similarly, a group of workers led by the president of the Punjab unit of the Akali Dal (Delhi), Jaswinder Singh Baliawal, managed to sneak in and raise slogans against Mr. Advani, as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials presented him a ‘siropa’ (robes of religious honour) at a brief ceremony outside the Harmandar Sahib’s information office near the clock tower entry of the shrine.

‘Badal exposed’

Talking toThe Hindu, Mr. Baliawal said that his party was of the opinion that the ruling Akali Dal, of which Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was the patron, and the SGPC should not have welcomed Mr. Advani, who had pledged his support to the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, in carrying out “Operation Blue Star” that had wounded the Sikh community’s psyche. He said that by honouring Mr. Advani at the holiest shrine of the community, Mr. Badal had exposed his consent for the Army action of 1984.

According to reporters present on the occasion, Mr. Advani just folded his hands and refused to offer any comments to questions related to his support to the “Operation Blue Star.” On the other hand, the SGPC officials were tight-tipped on the issue of raising of slogans within the precincts of the shrine, despite heavy deployment of its security task force.

Good response

After paying obeisance at the Durgiana Mandir and homage to the martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh, Mr. Advani proceeded to Batala en route Pathankot. At various rallies, especially in Batala town, Mr. Advani received enthusiastic response from the people. In his address, he targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and the Congress leadership for the series of scandals, unprecedented inflation and lowering the prestige of the nation in the international comity.

Mr. Advani reiterated the resolve of the BJP and its alliance partners to force the government, during the forthcoming winter session of Parliament, to reveal the names of the corrupt leaders, who had stashed black money in Swiss banks.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2630664.ece

The Hindu – More trouble for Advani’s yatra in Punjab

Radical Sikh outfits allege Advani of having supported ‘Operation Blue Star’

Sarabjit Pandher

Chandigarh, 14 November 2011. Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani continued to face protests on the second day of his Jan Chetna Yatra in Punjab.

Activists of the pro-hardline fringe Akali factions and radical Sikh organisations disrupted his public rally at Amritsar late Monday evening by raising pro-Khalistan slogans.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann was detained as he attempted to lead a group of activists to disrupt the campaign. Mr. Mann had earlier announced that his party would oppose Mr. Advani’s yatra as he had openly supported Operation Blue Star in 1984.

Slogan-shouting men disrupted Mr. Advani’s first public meeting in the holy city. While the BJP workers clashed with the protesters, the security forces had a tough time in restoring order, after which Mr. Advani resumed his speech.

Three persons were reportedly taken into custody.

Black flags waved

There were reports that some protesters threw eggs at Mr. Advani’s rath enroute Ludhiana on Sunday evening.

Activists of some radical organisations waved black flags when the yatra passed by Barnala town.

In his address at various places, Mr. Advani continued to target the UPA and reiterated that the BJP along with its allies would force the Congress and its ruling alliance partners into disclosing the names of the political leaders and others, whose black money had been stashed away in Swiss banks.

He was confident that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents would succeed in exposing the involvement of the Congress leaders in rampant corruption at various places.

While urging UPA chairperson and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to break her silence on the 2G scam, Mr. Advani said that the issues of corruption, black money and inflation would be discussed thoroughly in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament.

He said that with the “massive support” from the people and “right thinking” Congress leaders, the NDA would force the UPA to concede the demand of initiating the process of bringing back black money.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2627473.ece

The Tribune – HC dismisses Mann’s plea

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 13. The Punjab and Haryana High Court today dismissed a petition filed by SAD (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann seeking an independent probe into contesting of assembly and Parliamentary elections by Arvind Khanna from Sangrur, even though he is a “British citizen”.

In the petition filed in public interest, Mann had earlier sought directions to the Union of India, the State of Punjab and the DGP to “order an independent inquiry, preferably by the CBI, regarding the fact that Khanna contested the election for the post of MLA from the Sangrur legislative assembly constituency and for Parliament from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency, being a British citizen”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111014/punjab.htm#13

The Tribune – Triangular fight did Panthic Morcha in

Perneet Singh, Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 21. While the Panthic Morcha was formed to give a “tough fight” to the ruling SAD in the SGPC elections, it was virtually routed in the poll.

The Morcha dug its grave when it decided to leave the SAD (Amritsar), led by Simranjit Singh Mann, out of the alliance, turning it into a triangular contest. This inevitably led to a division of opposition votes.

In the 2004 SGPC poll, when Mann’s party was a part of the Morcha, the opposition had bagged 30 seats, the highest in the history of the SGPC. Had the opposition remained united this time too, the results could have been different.

Splinter SAD groups and other outfits in the Morcha shunned Mann due to his Khalistan agenda. There was a proposal under which the moderates, including the splinter SAD groups, and the hardliner SAD (Amritsar), could have formed separate fronts before entering into a seat arrangement. In such a scenario, they could have give a straight fight to the SAD.

The Morcha did not have a chairman/convener unlike the 2004 SGPC poll. It went into the poll battle headless. Though the Morcha leaders claimed that they were sharing responsibilities, there seemed no coordination among them. Even as the Morcha grappled with the leadership crisis, the SAD led by the Badals ran an aggressive campaign in a well-planned manner.

The Morcha was unable to match the money and muscle power of the SAD. This became all the more evident on the polling day with the Morcha not having polling agents at several booths. On the other hand, the ruling SAD with its strong organisational base had thousands of party workers at the polling stations.

Bhai Mohkam Singh of the Khalsa Action Committee, a key constituent of the Morcha, admitted that these were some of the factors that had led to their defeat. He said they would call a meeting of the Morcha leaders to analyse the verdict.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110922/punjab.htm#5

Summon Brar to Takht for poll mess. say US Sikhs

The American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has expressed dismay over the way the SGPC elections were conducted and appealed to the Akal Takht Jathedar to bring to “book all those instrumental in rigging the poll”.

In a statement, its chief Jaswant Singh Hothi and coordinator Pritpal Singh said it was unfortunate that “many non-Sikhs who were not eligible voters had cast their vote and genuine Sikhs were not even registered as voters”. They stated that it was not important as to who won the elections, but more significant was the fact how fairly these elections were conducted.

The American Sikh leaders blamed the Central Government and Chief Gurdwara Election Commissioner Justice (retd) HS Brar “for creating a mess” during the SGPC elections. “The Chief Commissioner has failed to take note of the large-scale rigging and violence … Justice Brar acted as a puppet in the hands of the ruling SAD led by the Badals,” they alleged. They requested Jathedar Gurbachan Singh to summon Justice Brar and others to the Takht.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110922/punjab.htm#6