‘Pro-Panth groups with SAD, radical elements exposed’

“The sacrilege (incidents) was an emotive issue and the reaction at the time could not be snubbed because of this very reason. However, some people took undue advantage of the situation and they have been exposed in Chaba,” he said.
Chandumajra said the kind of resolutions the gathering passed has also put the Congress in the spotlight and it too has had to beat a hasty retreat that was evident from the statements issued by its leadership.

Launching a scathing attack on the principal opposition party in the state, Chandumajra said the Congress support to the radical elements during the gathering in Chaba has shown that the party was in some manner behind the incidents of unrest in the state.
“The Akali Dal during the past one month had to tread very carefully owing to the emotional nature of the incidents. But now that the people behind these have been identified, it has made it easier for the government to act against these elements,” he said.

The MP said the Sikhs do not want recognised institutions of the community like the SGPC and the Akal Takht to get degraded and that the Chaba gathering wanted to harm these institutions.
“The pro-Panth groups like the recognised Nihang Singh Sahibs and Sant Samaj are all aligned with the SAD and the fact that they stayed away from the event show that they stand with the party at this crucial juncture,” he said.
“Holding a gathering in open fields and organising a turn up is not a big achievement. This gathering was against the Akal Takht and no Sikh with a Panthic bent of mind will ever accept this,” said Chandumajra.

Asked if the anger of the masses was also in a way directed at the poor governance in the state, Chandumajra said the ‘desecration’ was the real cause for concern for the government. “The Opposition took advantage of it and the government was helpless in taking a firm stand because of the religious nature of the issue,” he said.

Responding to a question on whether the arrest of radical elements would further fuel anger against SAD, he said, “I do not think people who are aligned with the Panth have any sympathy for any move that shows us separate from the nation or promotes a lack of brotherhood. People want development in the state and do not wish to be pushed back into the dark days that existed many years ago.”

Chandumajra added that constructive suggestion or any new course of action was given at the gathering in Chaba. “The fact that the main issue of Guru Granth Sahib was at number six of their resolutions shows the level of importance given to it by the organisers of the meeting,” he said.