Dal Khalsa rejects Hindutva’s theory of “one nation, one culture”. There are many nations living in India that have different cultures, histories, traditions and way of life.

With an aim to bolster the confidence of Sikh youth, hundreds of party men undertook a long march from Amritsar to Anandpur Sahib promoting the spirit of Sikh Nationalism and rejecting the forces that aim to assimilate their distinct identity.

Carrying saffron flags in our hands we asked our fellow brethren to dedicate the current year in upholding the honour and dignity of Sikhs as a Nation. The Ardas for the well-being of the Khalsa was performed at Akal Takht by party activist Sukhdev Singh Hasanpur.

To stem the attempts being made by “cultural nationalist” to assimilate minorities into Hindu ocean, the president of the party Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib has called upon the Sikhs to strictly adhere to Sikh principles, culture and traditions. The hegemony of New Delhi has polluted our culture, religion and social lives. To correct all wrongs that had crept into our way of life, we had initiated a process to educate the masses by undertaking series of such marches.

Bhai Daljit Singh Bittu, president of Shiromani Khalsa Dal while speaking on the occasion said there was a need to change the existing political culture of the Sikh polity so as to instill pride in Sikh youth about their identity. He was vocal in condemning the state machinery for repeatedly trying to crush the democratic aspirations of the Sikh nation. Although the UN and even the Indian Constitution allows us to express our dissenting views and hold independent thought, yet it was being denied to Sikhs and other minorities, he pointed out. “It seems the state has not learned any lessons from the past. Yet, despite all this, we will move ahead through democratic means”, remarked SKD leader. 

SGPC member Manjit Singh Calcutta reminded the spirited gathering that the message of Anandpur Sahib was a clarion call to fight the forces of religious bigotry and political tyranny. He said that even today it (Anandpur Sahib) was a symbol of liberty and justice. Quoting from the scriptures, he said that we must continue to strive to achieve our eternal birthright to be master of our own destiny and usher in era of dignity of freedom. He said India was a multi-national, multi-linguistic and multi-cultural country and any sinister attempt to turn it into a Hindu Rashtra was destined to fail.

Exposing Indian governments biased approach, Kanwar Pal Singh said, while on one hand Dr Manmohan Singh has initiated a dialogue with Hurriyat leaders who seek independence for Kashmir, on the other hand, Sikh leaders who were espousing for the same for their community had to face humiliation including imprisonment. This shows the double standards of the Indian democracy, he questioned.

We want to make it clear that Sikhs as a people with distinct identity, culture, historical background had the right to determine and shape their political destiny, said another party leader Jaspal Singh Dhillon.

Rajinder Singh of SKP while speaking ridicule the Zee news channel for telecasting a provocative and ridiculous story designed to pave the way for another round of state repression.