Barbs fly between SAD’s Mann & Taksal chief on Op Blue Star anniversary

Jalandhar: The 42nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star was marked by a bitter exchange between Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann, a former MP.If Taksal chief Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was at the centre of the Army action at Darbar Sahib, Mann shot to prominence due to his resignation from IPS to protest Op Blue Star and then became a central figure in radical electoral Sikh politics, championing the cause of Khalistan.Last year, too, the occasion was marked by controversy as Taksal chief announced that newly appointed Akal Takht acting Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, would not be allowed to speak or honour the families of the "martyrs", as he was "appointed in violation of maryada".Though bitterness between the Mann and Dhumma camps is not new, this time it has reached a new level with Mann alleging that the Taksal chief wants to get him eliminated, a charge dismissed by Baba Dhumma.The exchange started when Mann questioned Taksal holding a separate function at its headquarters, Chowk Mehta, to mark the anniversary and said that only one function should be held — at Akal Takht. He made other critical comments also.Dhumma reacted very strongly to this, calling Mann "a former MP from the family of traitors (‘ghadaraan da khandan')". He also warned that if Mann did not stop, then he would "reveal more things" that would embarrass him.Then, Mann said that Baba Dhumma wanted him eliminated. "I am very old, I am not left with many days. It is said that to fire at a setting sun is a waste. You can fire at me but stick to Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale's last words that if Army would attack Akal Takht, it would lay the foundation of Khalistan," Mann said.He also took a dig at Dhumma for taking a bath in the Ganga during Kumbh and alleged that the latter was "toeing the Hindutva line". "Get me killed anytime, but you have lost the moral authority to lead the Taksal," Mann said.In his latest interview to a Punjabi YouTube channel, after holding the 42nd anniversary function at Taksal headquarters, Dhumma launched another round of scathing attacks on Mann. He said that Mann was speaking against Taksal, which put him at the centre of the Sikh political space in the 1980s when he was in jail, but he failed to take people along and frittered away the opportunity. He justified his proximity to BJP, arguing that to get the Sikh issue resolved, they needed to engage with central govt. He also said that Maharashtra BJP minister Girish Mahajan had said unimaginable things about the Army action at Darbar Sahib.On Monday evening, referring to Mahajan's presence at the Taksal event, Mann said that an alliance with "communal organisations like RSS" at Taksal HQ was not acceptable. He also criticised Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami for sharing the stage with RSS leaders at the Taksal event.