Full text of the letter:

Parkash Singh Badal,
President Shiromani Akali Dal

Mr. Feudal Lord,

Waheguru Ji ka Khalsa!
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

You had certainly fallen in the trap of the Congress. During the debate on the genesis of the Punjab bloodshed in the just concluded session of the state assembly, whether you had succeeded or failed in defending the image and interests of the Shiromani Akali Dal remains a matter of interpretation. But one thing is of sure that your deep-rooted indifference to the sentiments of the Sikh people has been articulated most clearly. Once again the mask has come off and you had revealed your true self. It is saddening to see a man so completed devoid of character, integrity and ideology.

While watching TV channels I could not help but wonder what was really being debated in the assembly. Also whether your motive was to defend the Akali Dal from the crusade of Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh or belittle those Sikh groups/organizations that have a long history of sacrifices. What made me sit up was your incorrect and wrong portrayal of the Dal Khalsa, whose background and history is certainly well known in Akali circles. Your outburst against our organization is not out of the blue rather it was deliberated and motivated. This is an old and well-known trait of people of your ilk.

27 years ago, Dal Khalsa was born to confront and curtail the anti-Sikh policies of the Indian state. All its founder members were concerned about the destiny of the Sikh nation. The organization stood for the glory of the Sikh Panth and defied the so-called mainstream Akalis. In other words, the Dal Khalsa came into existence because the young generation of Sikhs was completely disillusioned with the Akali leaders who had belied the pride and destiny of the Sikhs.

During the debate, you had stated that the Dal Khalsa was propped up by late Gianni Zail Singh to pit against the Akali Dal. Surely, this allegation of yours against the Dal Khalsa is based on hearsay.

In the same breath, you had made similar attacks on Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a great martyr of the 1984 Amritsar battle.

It will also be in the fitness of things to mention that you also awarded late Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra with the similar "status" (Congress stooge) after he parted his ways from you in 1999.

The tragedy of the situation is that the degeneration of the traditional Akali mind is without repair. The organizations working for the Sikh cause continue to face the ire of the malafide and vicious campaign launched by you and your coterie since long obstructing the emergence of fresh and diehard leadership within the Sikh polity.

You had attempted to damage the image of the organization and belittle its contribution by clubbing it with the party that was responsible for not only army attack on Darbar Sahib in June 1984 but also for Sikh massacre in Nov 1984.

Through out your presentation in the Vidhan Sabha you had repeatedly quoted from various newspapers and books, whose authenticity and credibility are of doubt. You had referred to books written by contemporary historians and particularly a former official of the intelligence Bureau. These books have not been properly and genuinely researched but are mere reprints of speculative and sensational stories gathered from print media and corridors of North and South Bloc of New Delhi. But Mr. Badal, if you want the world to believe these stories than you yourself must also accept and own up to what these very sources say about you and the Akali Dal.

As far as we are concerned there is nothing further from truth. There is no iota of truth in this accusation. An innocuous expenditure of Rs 98/ by Gianni Zail Singh, for a press conference meet at Hotel Aroma, Chandigarh, has been blown out of proportion. The rumour was circulated ad nauseam that it became a reference point for all authors who did not make efforts to shift the chaff from the grain. The literature on the Sikh struggle produced by the pseudo-sympathetic Panjabiat lobby in Delhi is directed at spearheading the government's theory and myths.

Let me refresh your memory. Although the idea of formation of the Dal Khalsa was mooted by Bhai Gajinder Singh but it was certainly endorsed and backed by renowned Sikh intellectual Sirdar Kapur Singh, Professor of Sikhism.

As you are such a seasoned and experienced politician, I feel hesitant to discuss the final points of politics with you. All the same, I am going to go ahead with the hope that, you will understand why we oppose you.

You and your party had functioned as though you had a monopoly over the Panth and no one else had a right to speak for the same. Undoubtedly, during the 1935-60's, the role of the Akali Dal was admirable. But no free society is univocal; the right to disagree is the very essence of the democracy. With the passage of time, the Akali Dal fragmented into various factions. During this period of crisis there evolved leaders in the Akali Dal, who were moderate in their political opinion and those who were hardliners. By the 1970's, you emerged as a frontline leader of the Akali Dal, this was also the time when the confrontation with the Indian Union increased. The Sikh nation became impatient with the mechanization of the Indian Union and the indecisiveness of the Akali leadership. The failure and incompetence of the Akali Dal compelled a group of young Sikhs to take a more pro-active role in Sikh polity thus emerged the Dal Khalsa. This polarization within Sikh polity culminated in Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale representing the other spectrum of Sikh aspirations. The emergence of the Dal Khalsa and other Sikh nationalist groups posed challenge to your monopoly. This forced you to resort to your classic defense of labeling all dissenters as "traitors of the Panth". If you and the Akali Dal decides to abandon all ideology and principles, if the Akali Dal decides to abandon its responsibilities towards the Sikhs, and decides to abandon the politics of Morcha's and adopt a moderate or soft approach towards the Indian Union, it is none of our business, but Mr. Badal, when you work against the interest of the Sikh people we will continue to oppose you.

You and your party have monopolized the politics in Punjab, the state - condition of Punjab and the Sikhs is there for all to see. This, we will not allow any more. You will not be able to silence the voices of the Sikhs by slurring their names.

Mr. Badal, during your speech, you repeatedly denigrated the Sikh freedom struggle; a struggle during which thousands of young men and women laid down their lives. You have trampled upon their sacrifices. Were not these people called upon to join the Dharam Yudh Morcha launched by your party in 1982? Do you not feel any responsibility towards their sacrifices? Just to put the issue in the right perspective S Gajinder Singh spent 14 years in jail and even today he leads a life of an exile away from his hearth and home. Mr. Satnam Singh, the present head of the Dal Khalsa, has spent 17 years behind bars. I specially mention this because I would like to draw your attention to the news report of The Tribune, mentioning that when you saw your own son (Junior Badal) being escorted to his "VIP" cell during his incarnation in Patiala jail in a corruption case, your eyes welled up with tears. Have you ever paused to think about the trauma and torment that Mr. Gajinder Singh and thousands of other parents like his are undergoing. Not for a moment must you equate the corruption case of your son with the selfless and Panthic motive of Gajinder Singh and others. In a few sweeping statements you have denigrated an entire people's aspirations.

The difference between you and us is that today you are ashamed of your association with the freedom movement where as we are proud that we got the opportunity to serve the Panth during the struggle. It was ironic to see that you were competing with your opponent in slurring the entire movement and its characters. It was amazing to see you pretending ignorance of the various twists and turns of the entire freedom struggle, which you at times actively participated and belong to.

In the end, Mr. Badal, please be informed that the Dal Khalsa doesn't require a certificate of being Panthic from you or your party.


Jaspal Singh
Vice-President