‘Aligned with BJP’: Sarna, Dhumma in war of words after protest outside SGPC office

Amritsar: A war of words has erupted between Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma and SAD's Paramjit Singh Sarna, with both accuseing each other of aligning with the BJP.Sarna is also a former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).Reacting to a Dhumma-led protest in front of the SGPC head office here on Friday to demand the reinstatement of sacked jathedars, Sarna alleged on Saturday that disregarding the respect and reverence associated with Damdami Taksal, Dhumma initiated certain activities on the pretext of the appointment of the jathedars under the influence of "external forces". He said despite advertising across Punjab, Dhumma and his associates were able to gather only 200 people during the so-called ‘panthic gathering' at Sri Anandpur Sahib, where they passed a resolution to hold the protest in front of the office of the SGPC. "But his move was rejected a second time by the panth (Sikh community)," he said. Sarna said that Friday's gathering had certainly made the entire Sikh community recognise the influence and manipulation of the BJP within the Sikh community.Earlier a critic of Badals, Sarna had in the past merged his SAD (Delhi) with the Badal-led SAD.In response to Sarna's allegations, Dhumma accused him of being rejected by the Sikh sangat in Delhi. He claimed that during the last assembly elections, Sarna attempted to align with BJP leadership, but after he failed to reach a compromise, he was ousted from their office. Dhumma said Sarna had now come to Punjab with the intention of sowing discord. "He has already infiltrated the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and now seeks to destabilise the atmosphere in Punjab," added Dhumma. He also accused Sarna's group of consistently undermining the principles of Sikhism for over 15 years.Reacting to Dhamma's allegations, Sarna said the former should clarify when, in the past years or even recently, he had seen me visiting the BJP office. "He should explain when I have ever compromised on Sikh traditions or the Sikh code of conduct to please the BJP. The entire panth knows which forces are currently focused on undermining the Sikh identity," Sarna added. MSID:: 119707138 413 |