Sarbat Khalsa: Dissent continues among Sikh hardliners, preachers yet to take final call

“We will attend the Sarbat Khalsa if it is called at Akal Takht and all the prominent organisations (including SGPC) attend it. Sarbat Khalsa is an institution of Sikhs and it can be called at Akal Takht only. I request the organisers to either to shift the venue at Akal Takht or change the name of the event.

We can consider to attend the gathering out of Akal Takht if its name is changed,” said Taksal
“Now it is too late to change the venue. We did not go for the Akal Takht fearing it may have led to clashes between groups. We are not going to postpone or cancel call for this Sarbat Khalsa,” said Mohkam Singh.

Earlier, pro-Khalistan groups Dal Khalsa and Akali Dal Panch Pardhani disagreed over the date of the event. They wanted the event to be postponed to November 30.

Shiromani Akali Dal 1920 chief Ravi Inder Singh, former speaker Punjab Vidhan Sabha said that his party is yet to take a call on whether they will participate in Sarbat Khalsa or not.

“We are going to discuss our issues on Saturday during meeting called at Amritsar,” said Singh.

“SAD 1920 strongly feels that it should be a religious congregation of Sikhs and not a political platform for any politician. We do not want any politician to address Sarbat Khalsa but it should be our religious heads who should talk about Sikh panth. We politicians should be present there and listen to them as sangat.”

Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar chief Simranjit Singh Mann and United Akali Dal chief Mohkam Singh had given the call for the Sarbat Khalsa.

Asked if he is talking about Mann who even wanted , reportedly, to rake up the issue of Khalistan, he said, “I am not naming anyone but we will support this Sarbat Khalsa only if it is not turned into a political event. Whenever Sarbat Khalsa has been called in the past, it has been when the Sikh panth faced a religious crisis. None can be allowed to take political mileage at a religious event.”

Gurbani scholar Bhai Baldeep Singh, who recently returned his state award, declared his support for Sarbat Khalsa. “It is a complete non-issue on who has summoned Sarbat Khalsa. Akal Takht jathedar wrongly says that only he can call Sarbat Khalsa. Any Sikh who feels that a pantheistic issue needs immediate attention can call Sarbat Khalsa,” he said.

Harpal Cheema, SAD panch pardhani head and advocate of Babbar Khalsa militant Jagtar Hawara, the accused in Punjab CM Beant Singh assassination said that Hawara too wanted the Sarbat Khalsa to be postponed.

Many other groups have also favoured postponing the event since no consensus was reached and there are only four days left for the proposed event.

(With inputs from Kamaldeep Singh Brar)