Irked over the dilly-dallying approach of the SGPC to raise a memorial of Sikh martyrs of 1984 army operation, the Dal Khalsa activists sat on a hunger strike for 72 hours last year outside the offices of the SGPC within Darbar Sahib Complex. Come June, they remind SGPC leadership for not ‘honouring’ its promise made on 20 Feb 2002.
It’s noteworthy that SGPC has twice committed itself first in 2002 and then in 2005 to build memorial but both the time its leadership backtracked at last moment preferably under pressure from New Delhi.
In an attempt to impress upon the SGPC to fulfill its promise, the youth brigade of the organization led by Sarbjit Singh and Ranbir Singh along launched a “poster war”. Members of Sikh Youth of Punjab too participated in the campaign started from Darbar Sahib.
The group activists today distributed pamphlets and posters in the city putting the SGPC leadership in an embarrassing position. In a poster, the Dal Khalsa has posed certain questions to the present incumbent Avtar Singh Makkar.
In its first question, the group has asked the Sikhs to study the reasons as to why the SGPC took U-turns on the sensitive issues time and again. The second question relates to the dilly-dallying tactics of the SGPC. It has also posed a question as to why the SGPC has made its position ridiculous on the issue of memorial for June 84.
The posters also criticized the ongoing dead-lock among the Sikh high priests and SGPC leadership. The Dal Khalsa asked, “Who is responsible for the delay and why is Sikh religious leadership scared of giving due status to martyrs?”
In a new development, the Dal Khalsa asked Sikh Sangat to give their opinion by May 26 as to what next should be done to awaken the SGPC out of slumber. Narrating the timeline of holding marches and organizing sit-in and fast, the poster asked Sikhs in general to give suggestion what more we could do.
Mr Kanwarpal Singh, spokesman of the organization, said the posters were being dispatched to various Sikh Gurdwaras for creating awareness among the masses on the issue.
He informed the media that representatives of like-minded parties would be meeting on May 27th in Amritsar to give finalize the next course of action. He said the decision to this effect was passed at a meeting held at party office in which Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal, SAD (Panch Pardani) leader Harpal Singh Cheema, KAC chairman Mohkam Singh and Dal Khalsa head Harchranjit Singh Dhami were present.
Kanwar Pal Singh said invitation to various factions of Federation, Akali Dal, Damdami Taksal and Akand Kirtani Jatha for the meeting would be extended so as to build consensus within the Sikh Panth.