Amritsar: Marking the 50 years of present Punjab, the Dal Khalsa will hold conference and march on Nov 1 to highlight the tale of sorrow, grief and injustices this border state has suffered in the last 50 years of its existence.
Dedicated to great martyr Darshan Singh Pheruman, who sacrificed his life for the cause of Punjab in 1969, the conference will be held at his native village Pheruman. After the conference, the activists of Dal Khalsa along with other Sikh groups would undertake a march from Pheruman to Akal Takhat Sahib to reiterate their resolve to free Punjab from Indian hegemony.
Dal Khalsa and Sikh Youth of Punjab (SYP) leaders at the proposed site of conference
Addressing the press conference at Pheruman near Rayya town, 40 km from here, party head Harpal Singh Cheema and spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said since the formation of Punjabi suba, 50 long and tiring years have gone by.
They said “50 years of strife, dishonour, brutal killings, attack on our holiest places and mass murder on the streets of Delhi, foisting of a sub culture in the name of Panjabiyat”.
They questioned the rationale behind the celebrations being organized by Akali government. They said there was nothing to celebrate. Rather, it’s time to reassess the status of the Sikh people, clear our vision and strengthen our resolve to regain the lost glory and sovereignty of Punjab.
They said the Sikh people launched Punjabi Suba agitation with the hope that this would be their home where they would experience Nehru’s promised ‘glow of freedom’ or at least a place or an atmosphere which they could call their homeland where they could ‘fulfill their religio-political aspirations. However, all their hopes dashed as Punjab was reorganized but not before clever gerrymandering by the Indian state…snatching land, water resources, headwork’s, the capital city, fundamental rights and much more.
Dal Khalsa leaders Baldev Singh Sirsa, Jasvir Singh, Kulwant Singh Pheruman, Avtar Singh and SYP head Paramjit Singh were also present at the press meet.
The leaders later on met the family members of the Pheruman to invite them for the function.