Council of Khalistan Deplores Anti-Sikh Behavior of Paraksh Singh Badal

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 22, 2007 – The Council of Khalistan condemned the behavior of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. It has recently surfaced that before the Punjab elections, Badal and his son Sukhbir went to meet with Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda cult which has brought about so much strife in Punjab. While there, they bowed their heads to Ram Rahim. A Sikh is not supposed to bow except to the Guru Granth Sahib. This is the moral degeneration of the Akali leadership.

Ironically, despite Badal’s begging and pleading, Ram Rahim supported the Congress Party in the recent elections in Punjab. Now Badal is blaming his predecessor, Captain Amarinder Singh, for the problem. Badal didn’t even get votes out of his shameful actions. Perhaps it’s time he paid attention to the Sikhs who elected him rather than the anti-Sikh BJP, his coalition partner, and the leaders in Delhi.

Badal is the Chief Minister. As such, he is responsible for law and order. Yet he refused to prosecute this fraudulent baba pretending to be Guru Gobind Singh. There are pending charges of murder and rape against Ram Rahim. Why does Badal kowtow to him?

"There are no Deras or sects in the Sikh religion. There is only one Sikh religion and Sikh Nation," said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. "Fake Babas like Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh are part of the Indian government’s ongoing effort to weaken the Sikh religion and prevent Sikhs from achieving freedom," he said. "Sikh leaders should not be dignifying them. Badal should be prosecuting this fraudulent baba for these despicable acts."

"Badal’s conduct is shameful for a Sikh leader," said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. "This shameful conduct shows that Badal is under the complete control of the Indian government, rather than working for the Sikhs. We must free ourselves of corrupt, anti-Sikh leaders like Badal and his friends by liberating Khalistan," he said. "Remember what former Akal Takht Jathedar Professor Darshan Singh said: ‘If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.’"

A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268 political prisoners under the repressive "Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act" (TADA) even though it expired in 1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. There has been no list published of those who were acquitted under TADA and those who are still rotting in Indian jails. Additionally, according to Amnesty International, there are tens of thousands of other minorities being held as political prisoners. MASR report quotes the Punjab Civil Magistracy as writing "if we add up the figures of the last few years the number of innocent persons killed would run into lakhs [hundreds of thousands.]" The Indian government has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Christians and Muslims throughout the country, and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Manipuris, and others. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs "worse than a genocide."

"The Sikh masses must rise to the occasion and establish new leadership that works for the interest of the Khalsa Panth and abides by Sikh tradition," said Dr. Aulakh. "Badal and his son have betrayed the Sikh Rehat Maryada, Sikh principles, and Sikh tradition. Their leadership must be rejected for the interests of the Khalsa Panth. The Jathedar of the Akal Takht must censure him for violating the Sikh Rehat Maryada, betraying the Sikh Nation, and defaming the Sikh religion," he said. "Incidents like this test the resolve of the Sikh Nation. The Khalsa Panth will never allow the cult babas to dare to compare themselves with our revered Guru Gobind Singh Sahib, who sacrificed his whole family for the Chardi Kala of the Khalsa Panth," said Dr. Aulakh. "Remember Guru Gobind Singh’s words: ‘Sava lath se ek laraon, tabe nam Gobind Singh kahaon.’ Also remember Guru’s blessing, ‘In grieb Sikhin ko deon patshahi.’ Only a free Khalistan will put a stop to occurrences like this. We must continue to pray for and work for our God-given birthright of freedom," he said. "Without political power, religions cannot flourish and nations perish. The time is now to free Khalistan."

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This material is circulated by the Council of Khalistan, which is registered with the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of the Council of Khalistan, Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab.
The material is filed with the DOJ where the required registration is available for inspection. Registration does not indicate approval of the contents by the U.S. Government.