Sangh outfit concedes Sikhs are a separate identity

Sangh outfit concedes Sikhs are a separate identity
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

CHANDIGARH, MAY 2: The Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, a Sangh Parivar outfit, has, for the first time, conceded that the Sikhs have an exclusive religious and cultural identity. But since it was rooted in Hinduism, it has given a call to the people to revive the old tradition of bringing up the elder son in a Hindu family in Sikh tradition.

Briefing newsmen on the two-day national executive meeting here today, Sikh Sangat chief Chiranjiv Singh said the relationship of the Sikhs with Hindus was very strong. Their separate identity worked as a shield for national identity as the contribution of the Sikhs in every sphere was the highest.

Moreover, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh describes the Sikhs as the sword arm of Hinduism and various Sikh organisations have been protesting against what is being apprehended as the policy of assimilation of the Sikhs initiated by this organisation. The RSS and the Sikh Sangat have already made deep inroads in the Punjab countryside during the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations.

Chiranjiv traced the origin of the Sikh identity crisis to the giving up of the tradition of the elder son in the Hindu families being brought up as a Sikh. This tradition was prevalent mainly in what is now Pakistani Punjab.

``Sikhism without Hinduism has no roots and Hinduism without Sikhism has no fruit'', he said while giving the call to the people to revive the earlier tradition.

He refused to enter into any controversy over the authenticity of Dasam Granth. The RSS is mainly focusing on the Dasam Granth whose authenticity has been questioned by Sikh scholars who maintained that all the writings in the Dasam Granth were not by Guru Gobind Singh. He said his outfit was preaching Guru Granth Sahib.

The Sikh Sangat chief made it clear that due care would be taken to check any distortions while translating gurbani in other languages. He said instructions had been issued to rectify the error of replacing Ek Onkar with Ek Om in Japuji. This distortion was first noted by the Dal Khalsa which was in the forefront of organising a protest here against the RSS.

Madanjit Singh, organising secretary of the Sikh Sangat in Punjab, denied that the Sikh youth in the border areas was being inspired to take part in the Ram temple kar seva at Ayodhya.

Chiranjiv Singh was elected president for another term of two years. The other office-bearers elected by the national executive include Gurcharan Singh Gill (general secretary). Balwant Singh, Balihar Singh, Surjit Kaur and K. P. Aggarwal (all vice-presidents), Gurmukh Singh (organising secretary) and Gajinder Singh (assistant organising secretary).

RSS chief K. Sudarshan while addressing the delegates said the people should follow the teachings in Guru Granth.

In a resolution, the Sikh Sangat demanded that the annual Guru Nanak gurpurab celebrations at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan should be telecast live. The meeting opposed the handing over the management of the gurdwaras in Pakistan to the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee saying it should be entrusted to the Amritsar based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

The Sikh Sangat would observe 2000 as Year of the Youth and organise training camps with emphasis on de-addiction. The first such camp will be organised in Uttar Pradesh in September next.