Sikh radical outfit backs Raj Thackeray

Jalandhar, October 22:

MNS leader Raj Thackeray's drive against North Indian migrants in Maharashtra has found support from radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa which has announced a march on November 1 to highlight among other issues the influx of migrants in Punjab.

H S Dhami, president of Dal Khalsa said on Wednesday that MNS chief Raj Thackeray has been ‘misunderstood by all’.

"He is right in his own way as he is struggling to preserve and protect the culture, language and rights of his own people", he said.

Endorsing Thackeray's approach, Dhami said it was ‘unfortunate that the state doesn't provide suitable environment for non-violent struggle’.

Senior leaders of Dal Khalsa, including Kanwarpal Singh and Manjinder Singh, pointed to the migrant population in Punjab and asked the Punjab government to regularise migrants.

They said demographic change in Punjab seemed to be ‘alarming’ due to ‘heavy influx’ of migrant population into the state.

The leaders said Dal Khalsa perceives that like Assam and Maharashtra the ‘outsiders’ issue is going to quickly emerge in Punjab also.

"All political parties, pursuing narrow political ends are oblivious of the social, cultural, religious and political damage done to Punjab by their unmindful support to the migrant population," the Dal Khalsa alleged.

"What is the need to facilitate the making of ration cards and voter identity cards of the migratory population? Why can't landlords and industrialists employ the teeming unemployed Punjabis?" the Dal Khalsa leaders said adding ‘the so-called developmental process that we see all around is benefiting only non-Punjabis and unscrupulous leaders of Akali Dal Badal and Congress’.

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