Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Shiromani Akali Dal General Secretary and MP from Anandpur Sahib Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra today said the commitments made to the Sikhs by the national leaders at the time of partition of the country must be redeemed. He stressed the need for constitutional safeguards for the protection of exclusive identity of Sikhs and other minorities.
He said the Sikh members of the Constituent Assembly had refused to sign the new constitution as it made no provision for carving out an area in the North where the Sikh religion, culture and language could proliferate. Contrary to the commitment regarding this, the Sikhs were denied their exclusive and separate identity by clubbing them with Hindus under Section 25 of the constitution.
Prof. Chandumajra said after independence, the governments at the centre rather than fulfilling the promises made to them earlier started discriminating against them. Going against all norms, Sikhs were denied a Punjabi speaking state for years so that they could not have a state with their majority.
Akali leader stressed that to restore confidence of the Sikhs and other minorities in the country, an autonomous authority must be set up to implement the constitution in latter and spirit. This spirit calls for introducing federal structure in real terms to create positive environment for the proliferation of different religions, languages and cultures rather than the states being just administrative units.
Advocating financial autonomy, he said it was not enough to hike states’ share in central taxes from 32 to 42 per cent as the states must be empowered to formulate their own schemes.
Hammering the need for constitutional safeguards for the protection of separate Sikh identity, religion and culture, Prof. Chandumajra pointed that Master Tara Singh was involved in all negotiations at the time of partition as the third dimension along with Muslims and Hindus. The debate on the constitution must be taken to its logical conclusion by initiating concrete steps on the basis of suggestions that had come up to remove the apprehensions of the minorities.
He recalled Dr B R Ambedkar was highly impressed from the Sikh religion and it was for this reason that the constitution carries the stamp of egalitarianism, secularism and fundamental rights that are part of the Sikh doctrine. He said in case a senior leader at that time had not threatened to go on fast unto death, Dr Ambedkar would have adopted Sikh religion along with his lakhs of his followers that would have changed the very complexion of this country.
