Akalis to pay tributes to Indira’s assassin

Dera Baba Nanak, March 26

The SAD has ruffled many a feather by deciding to organise a mega event at Agwan village, which is the native place of Satwant Singh, one of the assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on March 31.

Agwan falls in the jurisdiction of the Dera Baba Nanak Assembly seat and is considered to be a hotbed of Sikh fundamentalist politics.

Batala SAD MLA Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal and former SGPC member and Akali leader Gurvinder Singh Shampura have been entrusted with the task of organising the event. A video has gone viral in which both the leaders have urged the “Sikh sangat” to reach Agwan in a big way.

This development is seen as an attempt by the Akalis to sway the Panthic vote during the forthcoming elections. If the occasion is being welcomed by the SAD, it is drawing sharp criticism from Congress leaders.

“I see it as nothing but an attempt by the SAD to bring the Panthic vote bank back into its fold,” said Cabinet minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.

Shampura said, “Satwant was a leading light of the Sikh community. The Shaheed Satwant Singh Gurdwara is being relocated to a new place and we are laying its foundation stone. In any case, what is wrong with the SAD in remembering Satwant Singh? If Akal Takht can commemorate him every year, then why not the SAD? It is the duty of all Sikhs to reach the venue and make the event a success.” — TNS