HSGMC Akali leaders, RSS observe 50th anniv of Emergency as ‘Black Day'
Kurukshetra: Leaders of HSGMC, from the dissident group of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), and
RSS
ideologues were seen sharing the same platform during an event at Kurukshetra University (KU) to mark the 50th anniversary of the Emergency as a 'Black Day'.
It was organised by HSGMC. Led by its chief Jagdish Singh Jhinda, the event honoured individuals who endured political persecution during the 1975 Emergency imposed by the then Indira Gandhi-led Congress govt.
Among the attendees were former MP Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, who was among the youngest to be jailed during the Emergency, former Punjab cabinet minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, both from the dissident SAD group, Kanwarpal Singh Tohra, grandson of former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra, KU's former vice-chancellor (VC) DDS Sandhu, 48 Kos Pilgrimage Monitoring Committee chairman and RSS ideologue Madan Mohan Chhabra, advocate Mahinder Singh Tanwar, and others.
Distinguished guests were honoured with a model of Sri Darbar Sahib, a portrait of Baba Banda Singh Bahadar, and shawls.
Chandumajra recounted his personal experience during the Emergency, describing the repression by then PM
Indira Gandhi
's govt. "In her desperate bid to cling to power, she imprisoned many prominent leaders, including top Akali and RSS members. I was one of the youngest prisoners at the time," he said, sharing the harsh conditions political prisoners faced.
Madan Mohan Chhabra said, "Congress is the only party which has made a joke of the Constitution the most in the country, whether it comes to amendment or imposing Emergency on the people. The Emergency period was a terror on the people by the Indira Gandhi govt, which was strongly resented by the people of Punjab, especially the RSS, Jan Sangh, and Akali leaders."
Other speakers, including Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Dr DDS Sandhu, and Kanwarpal Singh Tohra, reflected on the suppression of democratic voices during the 21-month-long Emergency and emphasised the need to preserve democratic values.
Thanking the attendees, Jhinda emphasised that the objective of commemorating the Emergency as a 'Black Day' was to honour those who suffered and to remind the nation of the oppressive chapter in Indian history.
Call to rename IGI Airport after 9th Sikh guru
HSGMC's Dharam Prachar chairman Baljit Singh Daduwal proposed renaming Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport after Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru. "Indira Gandhi has no significant contribution to the nation," he said. His suggestion was met with chants of "Bole So Nihal… Sat Sri Akal" by the congregation. Daduwal also announced that HSGMC would send an official letter to PM Narendra Modi in this regard.
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