ROOPNAGAR, Sept 17: Stung by the humiliating defeat in the last Lok Sabha polls, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee proposes to constitute a ``shadow committee'', headed by its president Amarinder Singh, to participate in the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth to woo the Sikhs.In an informal chat with the media persons, the PPCC organising secretary and former minister Harnek Singh Gharuan said, ``My party also desires to participate in the celebrations''. He was replying to a question as to what measures the Congress was taking to assuage the Sikhs, who had rejected the party in series of elections.Adding that the Akalis alone cannot stake claim on the celebrations, he said the Congress too wanted to commemorate the event. Gharuan disclosed that a ``shadow committee'' was being constituted for the same. The move is significant as the Akali Dal government has already formed a state as well national level committee, with the Prime Minister as its head.He said that the Congress was committed to all faiths and added that it was during the Congress rule that Fatehgarh Sahib was accorded the district status. He flayed the foreign policy, especially the one pertaining to the neighbouring countries. Attributing the tension in the subcontinent to the series of nuclear blasts, he said that the Indian establishment was first to launch arms race in South Asia.Gharuan, who is also the president of the Punjabi Aalmi Parwaar, a cultural group engaged in promotion of Indo-Pak friendship, said that any assertion from the Indian side over the re-union of the two nations was highly impractical and uncalled for.Gharuan said the proposed Islamic bill announced by the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not in the interest of India. ``Fascism in any form is not acceptable to me,'' he said.Referring to the internal politics, he said, ``Mid-term polls are expected anytime as the BJP might fall under its own weight.'' Talking about the state government he said, ``History holds that Akalis never complete their term''.
