Amritsar, May 1 - After Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, flaying Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar, Akal Takht, for advocating creation of “Khalistan”, SGPC president Avtar Singh, who is in New York, said Vedanti should “think before he speaks”.
He said the SGPC always endorsed policies of the SAD which was against the demand of a separate Sikh homeland. He said the SGPC would seek report from Vedanti as he had already backed out from his statement.
Avtar Singh said he always held Vedanti in high esteem keeping in view the great post he held, but he should give statements which were in the larger interest of the Sikh community.
However, Dr Amarjit Singh of the Khalistan Affairs Centre (KAC), Washington DC, who had invited Vedanti to attend the “Sikh Parade” on Baisakhi, said it was unfortunate the jathedar was trying to back out from his statement on Sikh homeland.
From the US, Dr Amarjit Singh told The Tribune he had recorded the entire speech of Vedanti which would be made public. He said initially, representatives of various gurdwaras in the US were against inviting Vedanti due to his tendency of changing stand.
He said the jathedar had “boldly endorsed the right of self-determination of Sikhs for a water/food-rich democratic buffer state of Khalistan in South Asia”.
He added the call of Vedanti was endorsed by over 30,000 Sikhs gathered at Madison Avenue Park, New York.
Joining the issue, the Dal Khalsa described the formation of Sikh state as inalienable right of the community. The party slammed Badal for ridiculing the concept.
-By Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service
