Chandigarh (August 20, 2011): The Dal Khalsa has strongly contested Congress leader Captain Amrinder Singh’s assertion that late Akali leader Sant Harchand Singh Longowal was messiah of peace and a ‘martyr’ also. The organization has also criticized the SAD (Badal) leadership for observing Sant’s Shardanjali Samagam marking his 26th death anniversary.
Joining issue with the former CM Captain Amrinder Singh on the issue, Dal Khalsa’s spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said Sant Longowal fell to the bullets of the Sikh militants because of his weakness and naivety as he signed the accord going against the collective will and wishes of the community that was badly wounded and hurt due to tragic events of 1984.
“Sant Longowal failed to read the pulse of the community, underestimated the gravity of the ground situation and walked into the trap laid down by Congress with the help of Barnala-Balwant duo”.
We cannot divorce ourselves from the prevailing situation of those times. Those who gun down Sant Longowal had no personal enmity with him, said he and added that they did out of conviction that Sant has betrayed the cause and ditched the martyrs of the faith by shaking hands with the Centre that was considered as an “enemy of the Sikhs” at that particular period.
Commenting on the Rajiv-Longowal accord, he said “the fight was directly between Delhi and Sikh hardliners, however the former choose to strike a deal with those who stood marginalized. Hence, the accord was doom for failure”.
Blaming both Congress and Akali leaders for playing “dubious role”, he said Congress deceived the Sikhs and (Sant) Longowal-Barnala-Balwant troika betrayed the Panth. The only so-called achievement of Rajiv-Longowal accord was Surjit Singh Barnala’s chief minister-ship.
Agreeing with Amrinder Singh on single point, he said as far as Parkash Singh Badal was concerned, he opposed the accord because he had nothing personal to achieve out of it and moreover the characteristics of Badal has always been of ‘an opportunist’.