Akali and Sikh groups join hands against Badal, Want Photo ID cards for SGPC voters

JALANDHAR: After three splinter Akali groups and some other Sikh organizations announced here on Thursday to come on a common platform they have demanded that photo identity cards should be made mandatory in the next SGPCC election.

The groups which announced to join hands included Ravi Inder Singh led SAD (1920), SAD (Longowal), Delhi Akali Dal apart from other Sikh organizations. Former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh and SAD (1920) president Ravi Inder Singh had made endeavours to bring them on one platform to oppose Badal led SAD in Punjab assembly and SGPC elections. Ravinder Singh said that they were talking to other groups to bring them on board.

“After an amendment is already being made in Sikh Gurudwara Act to bar Sehajdharis from voting in the SGPC election it become imperative that like general elections photo ID cards are used so that apostates could be not be enrolled as voters. In the previous election scores of apostates and non-Sikhs were enrolled as voters with active involvement of official machinery at the behest of the SAD-BJP government,” Ravi Inder Singh said while addressing a press conference here in the presence of Nandgarh and leaders from other groups.

"Before asking people to make sacrifice Badal should clear his stand on water issue"

Ravi Inder Singh said that when Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal was almost daily exhorting people to get ready to make sacrifices to protect water of Punjab rivers he should first explain his position on clause 5 of the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act. “He raised the bogey about scrapping this clause and then made a poll promise also but has remained silent in the last nine years,” he said adding “his dual stand on the issue was so typical of his politics in the last four decades.”