Shiromani Akali Dal stalwart Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday said "devious conspiracies" were at work to "weaken" the 'Khalsa Panth' and asked the Sikh community to guard against any attempt to create disunity and mutual distrust.
He also warned against "dangerous conspiracies" to install "government stooges in sacred gurdwaras". He claimed conspiracies were being hatched to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab through communal polarisation.
"Devious conspiracies are at work to weaken the Khalsa Panth and dilute its separate and unique religious identity. Our sacred gurdhams (Sikh Shrines) and their unique religious ideology are being targeted." "The 'quom' (Sikh community) will have to guard against attempts by powerful agencies to create dissensions, disunity and mutual distrust within the community," Badal said.
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During the gathering of community, which also demanded a probe into the recent sacrilege incidents by a sitting judge of the high court, he said, "The hard-earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony is being put to the torch by powers that be. They will finally blame the flames on Punjabis themselves in a repeat of 1980s and '90s simply to further vested petty political interests."
On the occasion, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged that the Congress did politics on the sacrilege issue and took no step to nab those responsible. He said now again a "conspiracy is afoot to spoil the peace of the state and create divisions in society for political motives alone".
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Despite nabbing of the culprits who had committed sacrileges at Sri Anandpur Sahib on September 13 and at Golden Temple on December 15, the government had done nothing to uncover the conspiracy behind the two incidents, Sukhbir Singh Badal alleged.
Asking the people how they could expect justice from the Congress, the SAD president said, "It is of utmost importance to strengthen the 'panth' as well as its representative party -- the SAD." Sukhbir Badal also castigated the BJP for trying to wrest control of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
It was shocking that Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who was heading the DSGMC at the time, had joined the BJP, he said, adding, "This amounts to using the bodies of the 800 martyrs of the Kisan Andolan to further one's political career. He should be ashamed of it."
With inputs from PTI.
