Tags:
Journalism of Courage
AMRITSAR, July 12: The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) today alleged that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had failed to protect the interests of Sikhs settled in the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
Party general secretary Ram Singh strongly opposed the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal, saying that the BJP had been playing fraud with the Punjabis and Sikhs.
Saying that Sikhs could not depend on Badal’s leadership, he added that the Punjab Chief Minister had kept mum when the decision to include Udham Singh Nagar in the new state was being taken in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
He said it was not the first time that the Central government and the Sikh leaders had betrayed the Sikhs. He said that Badal should immediately take a decision on Udham Singh Nagar and that the BJP high command should be told firmly about the sentiments of Punjabis.
Ram Singh said that the BJP was working against the interests of the minority community. While claiming to be the strongest supporter of Punjab’s demands, the BJP had failed to respond to the state’s demands on transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas and sharing of river waters.
He apprehended that the BJP might start a vilification campaign against the Sikhs in Uttar Pradesh and warned that if Sikhs were harassed, his party would take drastic steps to counter it.
