CHENNAI, Jan 15: The differences between Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra, which came to the fore last month and threatened the survival of the SAD Government in Punjab, will sink with time, Kewal Singh Giani, Jathedar of the Shri Damdama Sahib Takht, said today.In an interview to The Indian Express, Kewal Singh, in the city in connection with the inauguration of the tricentennial celebrations of the birth of Khalsa, said ``such differences are common in politics, they will surface occasionally and sink with the passage of time.'' He commended the performance of the Badal Government saying the situation in the State was extremely satisfactory and the people felt they were ``a part of governance''. There is no terrorism in Punjab now, he said adding that the Congress' policies were to blame for the unrest in the past.Condemning the attacks on Christians in Gujarat, he called upon minorities belonging to all religions to unite and chart out theircourse for growth. The interests of the minorities should be safeguarded as envisaged in the Constitution of India and their religious sentiments and culture should be respected, he said.Asked about the Shiv Sena's threat to disrupt the Delhi-Lahore bus service, he said, ``No one should be allowed to pose a hurdle in the efforts to bring the two countries closer.'' Welcoming the bus service, he said the Takht now wanted the Government to do away with checks across the India-Pakistan border since the two countries share a common cultural heritage.Elaborating on the year-long celebrations to commemorate the tricentennial of the birth of Khalsa, he said the Takht will spread the message of ``equality and one God'' throughout the world and will also appeal to the United Nations to observe 1999 as the Year of Equality as preached by Guru Gobind Sahib.He said the Centre, Punjab Government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) were jointly renovating the Shri Anantpur Sahib, the birthplaceof Khalsa, to make the holy place ``the eighth wonder of the world.''Renovation work for the Rs 400 crore project, of which Rs 300 crore has been contributed by the state government, commenced on November 22 last, he said. The Centre encouraged the State and other related committees involved in the tricentennial celebrations.The Jathedar advocated spiritualism as a means to counter the egoistic approach of the people which resulted in violence and unrest worldwide.
