RSS 'planned' parallel Sikh function

By Sarabjit Pandher

CHANDIGARH, JAN. 2. Some recent happenings have caused rumblings in the religio-political sphere of the Sikh community.

The issue, which has kicked up a lot of dust, is related to a recent ``plan'' of the RSS and its affiliate, the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, to organise functions related to the birth anniversary of the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, which was celebrated today. The SGPC chief, Mr. Jagdev Singh Talwandi, and the Jathedar of the Akal Takhat, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, who had the support of the various Akali factions as well as radical Sikh organisations, opposed the RSS plan to hold parallel functions of the Gurpurab in Hindu temples.

According to reports in the regional media, it was also planned to install the holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib, in the Hindu temples.

After a series of counter-statements, the RSS and the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat were quoted as having called off their plan, which the Sikh bodies have explained as a part of a ``greater design'' to subsume the Sikh community into the Hindu fold. The office- bearers of the RSS and the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat are tightlipped over the issue and limit themselves to saying the controversy has been generated with a political agenda rather than any ideological or religious concerns. Some office-bearers of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat have also been quoted as saying that the directive the Akal Takhat Jathedar was acceptable.

The issue, which has all the potential to develop into a major controversy, is vital as it takes shape at a time when the Akali leadership would be drawing out a strategy for the Assembly elections, which are just a year away. Observers are of the opinion that even after effecting a shuffle in the key players at important positions, the problems for the Chief Minister and Akali Dal Chief, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, are far from being resolved.

Meanwhile, Mr. Talwandi, who also heads the disciplinary committee of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), has issued an appeal to all political and religious leaders of the Sikh Panth. Talking to TheHindu over phone from Ludhiana, Mr. Talwandi said the Sikh leaders should desist from making any statements on the issue, especially after the RSS and the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat had called off their programme.

Mr. Talwandi's statement assumes significance in view of his previously tough stance against the RSS, whom he had sternly warned against meddling in the affairs of the Sikh community. Mr. Talwandi had even threatened a ``befitting reply''. On Monday, the Jathedar had also created a sensation when, through statement issues at Amritsar, he threatened to launch a ``sangharsh'' (struggle) against the RSS and its affiliates.

The Jatehdar had taken umbrage of the alleged attempts by the RSS and its affiliates to distort the Sikh tenets and literature. He clarified that the Guru Granth Sahib could not be installed at a place where idol worship was practised, as it was against the basic principles laid down by the Sikh Gurus. He warned that the plans of the RSS to create divisions would not be tolerated at any cost.

Justifying the concerns expressed by leaders of the various Sikh organisations, Mr. Talwandi said it was a matter concerning the basic religious ideology and identity of the Sikh people. He disclosed that he had met the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, Jathedar Vedanti, supporters of the Mann and Tohra factions of the Akali Dal and various Sikh intellectuals, to discuss the issue.

Mr. Talwandi utilised the opportunity to vent his ire on the Congress, which according to him, was sporting a facade of secularism. He asked the president of the party's Punjab unit, Capt. Amarinder Singh, to explain his silence on the issue, especially when he had a record of taking a stance on other religious issues concerning the Sikh community. He said that Capt. Amarinder Singh, with an eye on the elections to the State Assembly, had resorted to cheap opportunistic tactics and avoided making any statement, fearing that he could ``annoy'' a section of voters.

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