CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Sing Badal today reacted sharply to the Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit’s remarks in which she had advised the SAD patron in chief and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to “mind his own business and keep away from the Delhi Sikh affairs".
“ Will someone please go and tell her that Sikh affairs are very much a business of the Sikhs, and of the Sikhs alone, and that she or her government should stay away from the internal religious matters of the Sikh community. Let her instead use her position to ensure better law and order in Delhi. By openly talking about an issue which concerns our shrines, Shiela Dixit has only confirmed Badal’s observation that the Congress government in Delhi is indeed interfering in the religious affairs of the Sikhs,” the deputy CM said in a statement here.
Sukhbir Singh Badal further said that he had been amazed at the Delhi Chief Minister choosing to speak on what is essentially a religious affair of the Sikh community and that she should be seen to be so keen to protect her protégés.
“And may I ask Madam Dixit if she considers herself above the Prime Minister to whom Mr. Badal’s communication was addressed? The Prime Minister is yet to respond to the Punjab Chief Minister’s concerns but Mrs Dixit, in her wisdom, seems to believe she can pre-empt the PM also.”
The SAD president also wanted to know if the Delhi government “interference in the affairs of the DSGMC is a part of the Congress High Command’s policy and strategy. If that is so, may one ask what was wrong in Mr. Badal telling the Congress not to meddle in our affairs.? Haven’t we suffered enough because of such ill-advised course followed by the Congress governments in the past?”
Sukhbir Singh re-iterated the Punjab Chief Minister’s call to the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to stop the Delhi government from amending the electoral procedure for DSGMC. “The Delhi government must respect the letter and the spirit of the orders of the honourable Supreme Court that elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee be held in December, he said.
