Sukhbir writes to PM, seeks Bharat Ratna for Master Tara Singh

Chandigarh, February 10

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Badal on Saturday urged the Narendra Modi government to confer Bharat Ratna on party stalwart Master Tara Singh.

In a letter to PM Modi, Sukhbir described the late Tara Singh’s “contribution to the cause of our freedom and to keeping the West Punjab, including the present day Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh in India, as unparalleled and decisive”.

“It is an honour already long overdue and the time has come to undo this wrong and acknowledge Masterji’s debt by bestowing the highest honour of the country on him,” he said.

Sukhbir lashed out the Congress, saying, “If the Congress leaders of those days had heeded to Masterji’s call, our Punjab and India would have extended beyond Lahore, the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and we would not have been parted from sacred shrines, including Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Nankana Sahib and Kartarpur Sahib.”

He recalled how Tara Singh “single handedly fought prior to the Partition to keep areas from the western edge of the erstwhile United Punjab to Delhi as part of India”.

“This area was being eyed by (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah who wanted the entire Punjab to go to Pakistan. Without Masterji’s fearless struggle, even Kashmir would never have formed a part of India,” he said.