BJP systematically targeting Sikhs: Simranjit Mann

Amritsar/Bathinda/Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led govt at the Centre of “systematically targeting Sikhs” through a deliberate and well-planned policy. While talking to the media persons, he revealed that about three months ago, he discussed, with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi in Parliament, the alleged policy of the Modi govt to target Sikhs for “assassination.” He was responding to a question about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remark, in which Gandhi talked about religious freedom and cited the example of Sikhs during an event in the US.Alleging that Avtar Singh Khanda was poisoned in the UK, Paramjit Singh Panjwar was killed in Pakistan, Jasbir Singh Rode was murdered, Sidhu Moose Wala was killed in Punjab and Deep Singh Sidhu was killed in Haryana, he questioned Sonia as to why she did not join the SAD (Amritsar) in raising these issues in Parliament.He said it is good that Rahul talked about Sikhs saying that the community is “disappointed.” “Yes, we are deeply disappointed. The elections for our parliament (SGPC), which was established by law in 1925, are not being conducted,” he said. Mann added that Rahul should raise the issue in Parliament. He should question Modi as to why his govt has allegedly adopted the policy of assassinating Sikhs outside India. Questioning how this alleged execution policy was made, Mann said the security committee and Union ministers such as Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, S Jaishankar, the security adviser, and the RAW chief are “responsible for drafting the assassination policy of Sikhs.”Maintaining that the Sikhs are ready to die, Mann, the former Sangrur MP, said, “We are asking Rahul to tell Modi that Sikhs are ready to die. If the govt wants to kill us, we will come in front of your house, kill us there.”Harsimrat targets both BJP & CongressShiromani Akali Dal leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday targeted both Congress and BJP for their treatment of the Sikhs. In a blistering post on X, she wrote: “Rahul Gandhi, his Congress party as well as the BJP are equally guilty of committing inhuman crimes against Sikhs. While it is true that Sikhs, their institutions and their holiest shrines are now constantly under attack and facing brazen interference by the government and the ruling party at the Centre, Rahul Gandhi’s own party has its hands bedraggled with the blood of thousands of innocent Sikhs in massacres in Delhi, Kanpur etc in 1984.” She said since Rahul had not apologised for Operation Bluestar, he does not have “a moral right to speak on discrimination against our brave and patriotic community.” “The BJP too is guilty of discrimination against the Sikhs and of trying to usurp control of Sikh shrines,” she added.Chugh slams Rahul GandhiBJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi's statements about India's culture, accusing him of tarnishing the country’s image abroad.