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Vedanti heckled, leaves ardas
function for Mumbai
martyr in a huff
WSN Network
 JAMARAI (TARN
TARAN):
Heckling is an art that has been perfected by SAD (Amritsar) chief
Simranjit Singh Mann and his supporters, some of whom brandished
swords in the presence of Guru Granth Sahib, forcing Akal Takht
Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti to leave the venue without
completing his speech at the ‘antim ardas’ function of martyr Bhai
Balkar Singh here on July 7. Balkar Singh was killed in firing by a
bodyguard of Sirsa dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in Mumbai recently.
Anticipating
trouble, Shiromani Gurdwara Parband hak Committee (SGPC) president
Avtar Singh Makkar and Akali minister Ranjit Singh Brahampura
visited Balkar’s residence in the morning but chose to skip the
tribute ceremony in the afternoon. Delivering a fiery speech towards
the fag-end of the ceremony Mann criticised the role of the Akali
leadership, SGPC and Sikh clergy. “At a mammoth Panthic gathering
like this, we should formulate a concrete strategy to defeat the
nefarious designs of the dera chief and other self-styled godmen
like him. Where are the Panthic leaders who can do all this? I don’t
see Parkash Singh Badal or Avtar Singh Makkar around. Sikh clerics
present here have lost all credibility by failing to observe the
foundation day of the temporal seat of Akal Takht,” said Mann.
In his speech,
Jathedar Vedanti objected to a couplet quoted by Mann “Dharam bina
nahi raj chael hai”. Vedanti said it was not part of Gurbani, adding
that Mann was misleading and instigating the Panth by quoting such
verses. He also offered to pay Rs 1 lakh award to anyone who could
prove that this couplet was part of Gurbani. Mann and his associates
stood up and criticised Vedanti for making an issue out of a
‘non-issue’.
His supporters,
some of whom were brandishing swords, too stood up and started
raising pro-Khalistan slogans and disrupted Vedanti’s speech. The
latter made an unceremonious departure as his bodyguards hurriedly
escorted him into a car. Earlier, Takht Patna Sahib Jathedar Iqbal
Singh, Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh, Khalsa
Action Committee member Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, SAD MP Dr Rattan
Singh Ajnala, Dal Khalsa chief Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib and Damdami
Taksal chief Harnam Singh Dhumma and were among those who spoke on
the occasion. All termed Bhai Balkar Singh as a martyr of the Panth.
9
July, 2008
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