Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann, writes on 3.9.07 from an unknown destination, spelling out what he stands for, in the hour of crisis, in his party, brought on by Mr. Daljit Singh Bittu, now Co-convener of the Khalsa Action Committee.
Dear Sardar and Sardarni Sahib’s,
Fateh,
....The Sikh freedom struggle begun by Sant Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwala and its ideologue Sardar Kapur Singh after 1947 struck a great road block in 1984 when Indira Gandhi, with the aid of Charan Singh, CPI, CPM, BJP, traditional Akali leaders backing of the Soviet Union, its allies Vietnam and PLO leader Arafat, struck the Sikhs with Indian military might code named “Operation Bluestar” and later mopping up operation codenamed “Wood rose”.
Subsequent to this the Sikhs put up a valorous struggle to negate the effects of these two Indian army operations. Resolutions for the creation of Khalistan were passed at Sarbat Khalsa.
When I was released from Bhagalpore jail in 1989 and took over the reins of Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ), my colleagues and I made determined efforts to consolidate the gains of this independence struggle. The word Khalistan was not defined in terms of political science and it was easy for weaklings to state that Khalsa raj meant pure and they want a pure raj. Therefore they coined definitions like Khalsa Raj and Halimi Raj to overcome the pressure of the Indian state to bully, cudgel and terrorise Sikhs who said Khalistan. Therefore, when the Secretary General of the United Nations Boutros Ghali visited India I got hold of Messrs Badal, Tohra, Talwandi and others in a meeting where we signed a memorandum asking for a separate independent and sovereign state for the Sikhs in conformity to UN laws, wherein the struggle to achieve it would be democratic and peaceful. From this stand we in the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) have not budged an inch or made any compromise, come hail, wind, rain or shine.
In 1994, taking further advantage of the situation our party had this same doctrine of an independent, sovereign state ratified at the Akal Takhat where Sikh leaders who could not sign the memorandum to Boutros Ghali, Surjit Singh Barnala, Amaridner Singh, AISSF President Manjit Singh, Sukhkinder Singh and others took oath at the Sri Akal Takhat and signed the Amritsar Declaration. I reproduce the picture of the historic event where the then Akal Takhat Jathedar can be seen administering the oath to us all.
Since my release from prison on 17.8.2007 there has been no deviance for seeking the goal of what was written in the Boutros Ghali memorandum and the Amritsar Declaration, for which my party and I have sacrificed so much time and efforts, doing our humble bit and withstanding great pressures from the Indian state and people like Dr. Gurmeet Singh Aulakh and others from within. Our party since 1989 has been under extreme pressures to cut down and delete or subtract the substance of these resolutions. Everyone knows who these gentlemen have been in whom the Indian state, from the beginning has found a hollow bosom and a nest.
Only on 31st August 07 at the memorial service for Bhai Dilawar Singh at Amritsar, if we read the Tribune of 1st September 07 on the Khalsa Action Committee, datelined Amritsar Mr. Daljit Singh Bittu says he stands for Khalsa Raj, which his colleagues in the Committee, Mr. Mohkam Singh, Mr. Jasbir Singh Rode, Mr. Kanwarpal Singh Bittu have been saying all this while. I appreciate these funny scripts sent to me by Miss Dona Suri, which I reproduce, but the contents should not be reduced to such simplicity and bad humour as my turf war against Mr. Daljit Singh Bittu, who in our party’s PAC meeting presented a written paper stating and demanding that the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) should erase and obliterate the words of Khalistan and Azadi from our political lexicon. Obviously with me being in the Chair and well grounded and hardened PAC members of Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) shot down this preposterous resolution of a retired Khalistani. Since then Mr. Bittu has not rested his oars and doggedly pursued his one point agenda to wreck this unique party, which stands forthright for a peaceful and democratic struggle to get on with its agenda for freedom for the Sikhs.
Therefore the trouble and struggle in the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) is not that of a funny skit. In the past Hinduism has succeeded in militarily pushing Buddhism from the land of its birth- India , and made an indigenous Jain faith amalgamate into it. In 1947 it threw out Islam, accepting the creation of West and East Pakistan , though the latter split in 1971 to become Islamic Bangladesh. Our partymen, those of whom have not been seduced by this pernicious intrusion into our party by pensioners intend to stick to our ideology and goals, come what may. It is tough and hard for me. I was jailed from 14th May 07 to 17th August 07 and am currently on the run lest I be arrested and put in jail to give time and manoeuvrability to the bull in the china shop to destroy the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) of its ideology and policy of an independent, sovereign Sikh state, a buffer between India and Pakistan, both (the latter two) armed with deadly nuclear weapons and in the event of a clash would totally annihilate the Sikh civilization, wedged between these two. In this doctrinal war between the Indian state, its pensioners and the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) where do you stand dear Sardar and Sardarni Sahiba’s?
I donot think it was ethical and moral of Mr. Bittu to gain entry by subterfuge into the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and wreck it from within. Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) now remains the last citadel of Sikh resistance against a Hindu state, the rest having surrendered their will and pride to go with the Hindu state. For what have they ditched this sublime struggle for freedom, which is noble and elevating? Since 1849 we have lived under alien British rule till 1947. From the fire into the frying pan we landed ourselves in 1947 into another alien Hindu state. My partymen and I intend to stick it out and stand till the end. It is a difficult decision and a tough, hard life. We ask for no sympathy but courage from Wahç Guru. As I see myself being alienated and pursued like Dara Shikoh, I have implicit faith in what the English historian Cunningham read into our Sikh character- “the Sikhs dare and endure but never accept defeat.” Like the Captain of a sinking ship we are determined to stay aboard or go down with it, though like rats who are the first to abandon such a ship, some of our colleagues have followed suit.
What was the use and necessity of constructing the Khalsa Action Committee when there was already the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) for launching any struggle against the state? But Mr. Bittu wanted to break the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) from within and transfer its authority into the Khalsa Action Committee, with old and tried leaders who have consistently rejected the Boutros Ghali memorandum and the Amritsar Declaration and stand for some oblique mirage of Khalsa Raj, which in political terms is neither fish nor fowl. The creation of the Khalsa Action Committee is in real political terms the resurrection of the Panthic Committee, through which Mr. Bittu brought in the barbaric and murderous era of Beant Singh, the butcher’s rule. When on 14th May 07 a band of 21 Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) members put a picture of Bhai Dilawar Singh around the Butchers statue in Jullundar, Mr. Bittu was so hurt that he refused to have this great deed published in his magazine- the Sikh Shahadit. We here are grateful, for the understanding the Sikhs abroad and here have shown to the party in its hour of crisis. But we ask two members of the Sikh Youth of America, Mr. Chela and Mr. Manha were do they stand? Are they with Mr. Bittu or Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar )? Like the stage managed show of perfidy earlier in bringing in the rule of the genocidal Chief Minister Beant Singh, does Mr. Bittu want to bring in the 25 years rule of Sukhbir Singh Badal and sound the death knell of Sikh pride, independence and freedom?
The attempts to break and splinter the Shiromani Akali Dal ( Amritsar ) is a deadly serious business, fraught with deep political consequences for the Sikh nation. It is pregnant with conspiracy and mischief. But if Miss Donna Suri can bring some humour into it, as she promises, I wouldn’t mind a laugh. I have been a prisoner of the Indian state and many times its fugitive, but I haven’t lost my humour yet!
With regards,
Yours sincerely,
Simranjit Singh Mann, President, Shiromani Akali Dal( Amritsar )
