AAP govt ridiculed Sikh sacrifice with song and dance: Badal
Sukhbir Singh Badal
accused the Aam Aadmi Party govt of committing an act of "grave sacrilege" against the Sikh religion by trying "shamelessly" to convert the solemn occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur into an "entertainment event" at Srinagar.
"This is shocking beyond belief," said Badal, adding that this act cannot be dismissed as an "inadvertent" blunder because the chief minister, the minister concerned, Harjot Singh, and several other members of this govt claim to be steeped in Sikh heritage and come from Sikh families. No one in Punjab, not even a non-Sikh, is unaware of the solemnity of the occasion of the ninth Guru Sahib's martyrdom, and none can think of it as an occasion for entertainment.
"Acts of sacrilege of Sikh scriptures and shrines are not only happening every other day, but the govt itself felt no shame or guilt in ordering its uniformed police to invade the historically sacred Gurdwara Sahib at Sultanpur Lodhi under direct orders of the chief minister. They opened unprovoked and indiscriminate firing against Sikh religious figures in our Gurdham, and since the CM himself was behind this sacrilegious police assault, no one has even been held accountable for the heinous crime," alleged Badal.
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Reacting to reports about the performance of musical entertainment acts and items at an event organised by the Punjab government through its language department in Srinagar, Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal described it as "a part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to dilute and belittle the unrivalled Sikh heritage."
In a statement issued here, Badal said, "The real motive behind these acts of sacrilege is to distance our future generations from the uniqueness of our glorious history and the religious legacy of our great Guru Sahiban."
"By organising song and dance events instead of recitation of sacred Gurbani at the most profoundly solemn occasion of the anniversary of the martyrdom of "Hind di Chadar" Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib, the AAP govt has deliberately sought to ridicule a sublime occasion and to belittle the world's most unique sacrifice in the defence of freedom of conscience, religious tolerance, peace, and communal harmony. This is the ultimate disrespect shown to the great Guru Sahib and an act of "grave sacrilege," said the SAD president.
Badal demanded that all those behind the anti-Sikh mindset of this govt must be made to admit and explain the endlessly continuing series of acts of sacrilege against the Sikh heritage and Sikh scriptures in the state.
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