HISSAR: A drive by Sikh leaders in Haryana to unite the community and raise voice for their rights is gaining momentum. After a state-level meeting in Karnal last week, district-level meetings were held in Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa on Sunday, attended by prominent members of the Sikh community. The Sikh community said it would soon form a 51-member committee to claim 15-20 seats in the state assembly and hold talks with the government and other political parties on its other demands. International Sikh Forum general secretary Preetpal Singh Pannu, Kisan Union president Jagdeep Singh Aulakh and farmer leaders Amrit Singh Bugha and Balwant Singh attended the meeting, held at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Nagori Gate, Hisar. Addressing the community representatives, Young Sikh leader Amandeep Singh Babbar appealed to all to rise above sectarianism and party politics and come together on community issues. The speakers said that the Sikh community in Haryana is over 1.8 million strong but has never been given its due rights. They said that Sikhs have a significant presence in 15-20 assembly seats in Haryana and candidates from the Sikh community should be fielded from these constituencies in the upcoming elections. If seats are reserved, candidates from sections of the Sikh community like Mazhabi, Ravidasiya, Sikrigarh etc should be given recognition for such seats, they said. Two representatives from the Sikh community should also be given recognition in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Sikh community in Haryana should also be given representation in the Rajya Sabha. They said that Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Dabwali and Karanwari have a large Sikh presence. The meeting also discussed that Punjabi has the status of second language in the state but there are no Punjabi teachers in government and private schools. Emphasis was also laid on giving independent responsibility to Punjab Sahitya Academy as earlier. The leaders also demanded setting up of SIT in every district to take strict action against those spreading lies about Sikhism on social media and using wrong words against the community. Directions should be given not to remove the ‘kirpan’ and ‘khada’ of Amritadhari (baptised) Sikh children during examinations and legal and departmental action should be taken against the officials concerned in case of any violation. A minority commission should be set up in the state and Haryana Sikhs should also be given representation in the National Minority Commission, they said. Meanwhile, Gurtej Singh Khalsa, president of the Indian Shiromani Gatka Federation, who was present in the meeting, said a state-level Sikh conference is scheduled to be held in the first week of September.
