Two days after winding up the 192 days old Insaaf Morcha at Bargari, parallel acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Dhian Singh Mand today paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. To avoid any controversy, he along with his supporters performed “ardas” while standing outside Akal Takht.
Mand said it was “shukrana ardas” for the success of the initial stage of the morcha that lasted for over six months.
Next meeting
Jathedar Mand said the next meeting of the panthic leaders would be convened at Fatehgarh Sahib on December 20 to give new outlines of the next phase of struggle.
“This time, we will move on to streets to apprise the sangat of ill-treatment meted out to the Sikh community. We will follow the concept of Miri-Piri, if the governments (state and Centre) keep misusing religion for political goals,” he said.
We all are on one platform with one vision. We are not under any pressure. Rather the government was facing the heat. It was due to our protest that the FIR in Behbal Kalan firing has now been re-registered against cops by name, Justice Ranjit Singh report was made public and the process to release Sikh political prisoners has gotten underway,” he said.
Successes of Bargari Morcha
Mand claimed that of 18 Sikh political prisoners, TADA convict Dilbagh Singh was freed and the process was on to release others too. He said the government had taken up the matter of shifting Sikh prisoners to state with the Centre government. “Similarly, all sedition cases against Sikhs would be withdrawn unconditionally. All this became possible only due to Bargari Morcha’s successful outcome,” he said.
Also Read: Bargari Insaaf Morcha Ends neglecting Sikh sentiments
Not satisfied, say Daduwal, Ajnala
Parallel jathedars Baljit Singh Daduwal and Amrik Singh Ajnala on Tuesday expressed resentment against lifting of the Insaaf Morcha in a “hush-hush” manner.
Bhai Ajnala said he had distanced himself from the morcha as he was not satisfied with the Mand’s style of working. Daduwal did not accompany Mand and paid obeisance at the Golden Temple later in the day. He claimed that he was not in favour of calling off the morcha since he was not satisfied with the assurances given by the state government.
Mand lifted the morcha in haste and I am not happy with his decision, said Bhai Daduwal
Bhai Daduwal said that the morcha should have been lifted only after taking the Panth into confidence. That’s why he didn’t come with him but is reaching Harmandir Sahib on his own to offer shukrana ardas.
Daduwal also said he did not know why Mand said he was busy with religious programmes. When asked how and why the decision to lift the morcha was taken, he said, “Mand talked to the government and only he can tell what transpired between them. All I can say is that neither me nor the sangat were taken into confidence before the announcement of lifting the morcha was made.”
“Mand’s decision was dictatoriaL”
“We supported him till the last minute but he didn’t listen,” he said. When asked if they would struggle together for the causes the morcha was dedicated to, he said, “We will see later. But I will continue to struggle as I had been doing earlier.”