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Badal, adversaries joust as Khalsa fete ends

Onkar Singh in Anandpur Sahib

The Gurcharan Singh Tohra-Bhai Ranjit Singh version of the tercentenary celebration of the Khalsa Panth ended in an anti-climax. In contrast to the official fete, there were no fireworks last night. Tohra and Bhai Ranjit Singh made do with verbal pyrotechnics instead.

Bhai Ranjit Singh, the dismissed Akal Takht jathedar, stuck to form and lashed out at Punjab Chief Minister -- the man who ousted him from the supreme temporal seat of the Sikh faith -- Parkash Singh Badal. He asked the Sikh Sangat and Sikh Sant Samaj to help the Panth make the Akal Takht autonomous.

"Our Akal Takht is a supreme body which is not answerable to anyone. Let us make it a body which cannot be governed by an act of Parliament or legislature or any other body. Let no Babbar question the authority of the Sri Akal Takht Sahib. There is no difference between Badal and Babbar," he said, amidst shouts of Akal Takht Mahan Hai, Sikh Panth Ki Shaan Hai and Jo Akal Takht Nai Takrai Ga, Chur Chur Ho Gaye Ga.

Bhai Ranjit Singh described Badal as a "Qaum Ka Gaddar (a traitor to the faith) who deserves to be punished for breaking Sikh tradition by daring to unseat an Akal Takht jathedar."

"He is power drunk and does not realise what he is doing. He has purchased members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee to unseat me. He who swore to abide by Sikh traditions broke his promises once he became chief minister of Punjab. He needs to be taught a lesson along with his stooges, Brajinder Singh (editor of the Punjabi daily Ajit) and Captain Kanwaljit Singh (the state finance minister). They are trying to destroy the authority of the Akal Takht. Now it is time they are tackled by the Akal Takht," he said.

Across this religious town, Badal chose to ignore Bhai Ranjit Singh and homed in on ousted SGPC president Tohra. "For 25 years he was the SGPC president. During this period he did little religious work and more of politicking. I am glad we have been able to break his stranglehold and install Bibi Jagir Kaur as the first women president of the SPGC," Badal, who had earlier told this correspondent that he would keep off politics until April 15, said.

The official celebration of the tercentenary, with all the moneypower at its command, impressed devotees with a spectacular laser show and fireworks which lit the skies of Anandpur Sahib for more then 45 minutes. "I don't know how much money has been spent. I learn that the Badal government spent more then one crore rupees (Rs 10 million) on the fireworks itself. I wish they had used it for some useful work," rued one Tohra supporter.

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