STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Sikh community after suffering the holocaust of partition migrated from its homeland, settled in Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir in a scattered manner and thus could not have an exclusive voice to elect its representative from any one area in the State to highlight its miserable condition in all spheres of life.
President Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) SAD (B) Jathedar Mohinder Singh while addressing a press conference alleged the successive governments in the State for taking undue benefit of Sikhs’ scattered voice, continued to neglect their development in the fields of economy, employment, education and other facilities required to keep a pace with the developing world. He regretted that even the concessions available to them as minority community under the Minority Community Act 1992 were not extended to them and on the contrary the circumstances have been created to dilute Punjabi language which remained as compulsory subject up to 1981.
He further said that the compensation and the claims which became due to them during partition in 1947 when they lost everything including lives of their family members, are still in the cold storage while their Kashmiri colleagues had started getting their demanded facilities once they crossed Jawahar Tunnel.
Having suffered so far, the step-motherly treatment at the hands of earlier governments, they pinned their hopes in upcoming Government led by Mehbooba Mufti and listed their genuine demands for consideration and acceptance. These demands include a berth in the ministry, representation in the Service Selection Recruitment Board, extension of Minority Commission Act 1992, providing Punjabi teachers in the schools and clearance of one time package to refugees of 1947.
Prominent among those present in the press conference include Harbhajan Singh, Jagjeet Singh, Ranjeet Singh and others.
Meanwhile, Sikh community members converged under the chairmanship of Charanjeet Singh President District Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee Kathua and sought Cabinet berth in ensuing coalition government. Addressing the meeting of community members held at Gurudwara Singh Sabha Kathua Charanjeet Singh demanded that Charanjeet Singh Khalsa MLC should be given the cabinet slot in the new BJP-PDP Coalition Government. Navjot Singh District General Secretary, Dilip Singh Vice President, Diljeet Singh, Amrik Singh, Kuldeep Singh, and Swaran Singh were present in the meeting.
Meanwhile, number of other Sikh organizations including Bhai Kanhiya Nishkam Sewa Society, Sikh United Front, Sikh Naujwan Sabha, All India Sikh Student Federation and Sikh Welfare Society have also appealed to the PDP and BJP to provide one berth each to the community for highlighting the grievances of the community which has recurrently been ignored at the hands of successive governments.
Prominent among those who were present in the meeting include Mohinder Singh, Paramjeet Singh, Kulwant Singh, Gajjan Singh, Harpal Singh, Manmohan Singh, Amrik Singh, Rajinder Singh, Gurdev Singh, Parveen Singh, Surjeet Singh, Kapoor Singh, Tejpal Singh, Pyara Singh, Kultar Singh, Charanveer Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Tejinderpal Singh.
