Chandigarh: Sikh intellectuals have highly resented the decision of Amritsar Khalsa college’s management to contribute rupees 10 lakhs to PM CARES fund saying that the amount should have been spent in Punjab as the state government is starved of funds to tackle the coronavirus menace.
Eminent Sikh scholar Bhai Asho Singh Baghrian, Gurtej Singh IAS, Bibi Paramjit Kaur Khalra, senior advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains, Editor Des Punjab Gurbachan Singh, senior journalists Jaspal Singh, Karamjit Singh and Sukhdev Singh Sidhu said: the donating to the PM Fund is not a goodwill gesture at this juncture but it is an act of sheer sycophancy on part of the secretary of the College Charitable Society that manages the college to earn political clout for himself at the cost of Punjabis. This act also smacked of ‘saffornizing’ of the management of the college which during it’s a 100-year standing has made a sterling contribution towards the sustenance of the uniqueness of Punjabi language and culture. The secretary, Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhinna contested Lok Sabha from Amritsar as a BJP candidate.
They reminded the management that the Khalsa college was built, run and sustained with generous contributions by the Patiala Princely state and several other philanthropic Punjabis. Till the date, income of the college and generation of funds are coming from Punjabis and they are only entitled to use these funds in the crisis of the day.
These days when Chief Minister Amrinder Singh has publically been complaining that the Centre was not giving a penny to Punjab for fighting coronavirus. In that context, the college donation along with half-month salary by 18 principals of other institutes under the Society to the Central kitty amounted to ditching to our own people to please the others.
The Sikh intellectuals are afraid that other Sikh educational institutes run by the Chief Khalsa Dewan, Amritsar are too under the threat of being ‘saffronized’ following the entry of BJP supporters in the Dewan’s management.