Youth wing of Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD(A) stirs controversy

Chandigarh: Demand by the youth wing of Member Parliament Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD(A) to remove the photograph of Shaheed Bhagat Singh from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) managed Central Sikh Museum (CSM) has given rise to a major controversy.

Though the SGPC is yet to react to the demand of one of the Akali parties but it has definitely hurt the sentiments of a large section of society towards martyrs of the Indian freedom struggle with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders announcing to not let anyone remove the photograph of Shaheed Bhagat Singh from CSM.

To convey its point across, the patron of youth SAD(A) Iman Singh Mann has referred to a letter written by Shaheed Bhagat Singh, according to a letter handed over to SGPC by Iman Singh, Bhagat Singh claims that he was an atheist.

The youth wing of SAD(A) maintains that by displaying the photograph of an atheist in CSM, the SGPC was promoting idolatry under the influence of Hindutva ideology which was not only against the Sikh culture, traditions and ideology but as well as against maryada (Sikh code of religious conduct) .

After winning the Sangrur Lok Sabha bye elections, Simranjit Singh Mann has not only been publicly defending his grandfather Arur Singh for honouring General Dyre after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre but had also called Shaheed Bhagat Singh terrorist for having killed an amritdhari (initiated) Sikh and hurling a bomb in the assembly.

Mann’s uttering has not only riled the common masses but has given ammunition to the opposition political parties to take on SAD(A) and stirred a major controversy.

The SGPC is yet to come up with its clarification on the memorandum submitted to it by the youth wing of SAD(A) but according to sources the SGPC may not remove the photograph of Shaheed Bhagat Singh from CSM but it could form a committee to look into the demand to pacify the feelings of a certain section of Akali’s.

However, Harbhajan Singh ETO, one of the cabinet minister of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led AAP government,  has said no to the removal of the photo of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. “We are unreservedly dedicated to the martyrs, even the Chief Minister had taken oath at Bhagat Singh’s ancestral village Khattar Kalan, it will not be removed,” said Harbhajan Singh.

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