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Badal accuses Tohra of being in cahoots with Congress; SGPC chief changes mind about quitting

In a huge show of strength at the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal's political rally in Patiala, Punjab Chief Minister and SAD president Parkash Singh Badal alleged that the Congress was in cahoots with Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra to "sabotage" his government.

In Amritsar, citing directions from the suspended Akal Takht jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh, Tohra decided not to quit as SGPC president and vowed to fight the Badal government on a religious platform.

The battle between the two Akali leaders, which has simmered for the past three months, erupted with full force on Friday, ironically the second anniversary of the Badal government's ascension to power.

Badal cleverly used the Congress epithet -- the party is taboo to most Akali politicians -- to launch his offensive against Tohra whom he accused of lust for power. "I will never allow either the Congress or other elements to disturb the prevailing peaceful environment in Punjab,'' the chief minister said, in his hour long speech.

He asked all his supporters to reach Amritsar on February 15 for a ''show of strength'' at the venue of the SGPC executive meeting on that day.

''I had been very mild with everybody in the past regarding the party's affairs, but now the time has come for me to be outspoken against the enemies of the people of Punjab,'' he said. ''We are sons of Guru Gobind Singh and will deal with our enemies with a heavy hand,'' he asserted.

Tohra's rhetoric was no less fierce. ''I will awaken the Sikh masses on the jehad that the state government has launched against the Akal Takht,'' he said addressing a press conference on Friday after meeting Bhai Ranjit Singh, whom he still recognised as ''the Akal Takht head''.

The SGPC chief said Bhai Ranjit Singh had rejected his proposal to quit and directed him to fight the ''excesses'' being committed against the Akal Takht and the Sikh community.

"We want to see to what extreme the government can go in degrading the integrity of the Akal Takht and the Sikhs,'' Tohra said. He said he would continue to follow Ranjit Singh's directions and not that of the "sarkari jathedar," Giani Puran Singh.

Tohra said SGPC employees will not co-operate with the government during Giani Puran Singh's installation ceremony, slated for Sunday, February 14. He refused to answer questions on whether he would take disciplinary action against the new Akal Takht jathedar in his capacity as SGPC president. There are indications, however, that the Giani could be issued a show cause notice to explain his conduct as an SGPC employee.

On the claim that terrorism would revive in Punjab if the current crisis was not resolved, Tohra said it was propaganda aimed at concealing the government's failures and ineffectiveness.

Meanwhile, Bhai Ranjit Singh said today that he has never been a supporter of the demand for 'Khalistan' and is not in favour of limiting the future of the Sikh quam (community) within any fixed boundaries.

Making his position clear in a public statement, Ranjit Singh, who claims he still holds the office of the Akal Takht jathedar, the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, said, "I believe that in this era of universal brotherhood it is not appropriate to raise slogans for a separatist state for the Sikhs which affects their image adversely.''

"But," he added, "I am in favour of maintaining the distinct identity of the Khalsa panth, and recognition of their social, religious and constitutional rights.'' Stating that he has faith in the spirit of 'live and let others live,' the suspended jathedar said, "We have no wish to strengthen our existence by cutting across the existence of others."

Declaring that he had no intention of destabilising the Badal government, Tohra said his would be a religious battle against the government, not a political one. It would be dharmik (religious) in nature, he said, while referring to the alleged police entry into the Golden Temple complex and the manner in which Ranjit Singh was suspended by 10 Badal supporters on the SGPC executive.

He claimed that thrice in December, he had offered to quit as SGPC chief if Badal so desired. The chief minister had kept silent, but his supporters had launched a tirade against him, Tohra added.

Badal too played the religious card with fervour. He sought the Sikh quam's support for the tricentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth in April. The chief minister said he was authorised to chalk out the celebration programmes at Anandpur Sahib on January 7 which was attended by all the SGPC members including Tohra, members of the SAD working committee and Akali Dal MLAs and MPs.

Despite this decision, Badal lamented that his government was blamed for highjacking the tercentenary celebrations by Tohra and Bhai Ranjit Singh. The chief minister urged the gathering to acknowledge Friday's rally as a ''stepping stone'' towards the beginning of the Khalsa tricentenary celebrations.

Final word from Tohra. The SGPC chief ruled out the possibility of his quitting the Akali Dal. ''You know the pressures that the owner of a house faces from an unwanted tenant,'' he quipped.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Tohra asks Sikhs to boycott Akali Dal

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