Chandigarh : A meeting was held between a delegation of Sehajdhari Sikh Party under the leadership of its National President Dr.P.S.Ranu and Punjab Congress Chief Capt.Amarinder Singh at Chandigarh where the Sehajdhari Sikh Party decided to support the Congress Party in the Vidhan Sabha Elections and inturn the 21 candidates filed by the Sehajdhari Party shall be withdrawn in favour of Congress and a formal Joint press conference shall be held tomarrow at 3 Pm in Congress Bhavan Sector 15 Chandigarh.
Clarifying its stand on the issue of support to the Congress the Sehajdhari Sikh Party leadership stated that the issue of voting right of the sehajdharis Sikhs in the SGPC elections was soughted out by the Hon’ble Punjab & Haryana High Court but the Akali Dal Badal after the legal defeat has now planned to nullify the High Court orders by amending the Gurudwara Act 1925 after legislating the bill in this regard. SAD(Badal) connived with BJP led NDA government during 2003 and got an illegal notification issued to deprive Sehajdhari Sikhs of their voting rights. Sehajdhari Sikhs fought their legal battle for more than eight years and got their statutory voting rights restored in Dec 2011 through Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High court and directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. This has generated sympathetic reactions in every mind of moderate and positive thinking Sikhs throughout the world for Sehajdhari Sikhs.
Hence the Sehajdhari Sikh Party has decided to support the largest party competent for Governance in the State and to keep the Badals away from the Legislative Assembly in the interest of the Sehajdhari Sikhs.Sehajdhari Sikh Party thus decided firmly to watch the religious sentiments and interests of 70 Lakh of Sehajdhari Sikhs in Punjab. As per census 2011 records of Home Ministry of India, there are 1.75 Crore Sikhs living in Punjab. During SGPC elections held in Sept.2011 Gurdwara Election Commission prepared lists of 55 Lakh so called eligible voters (including persons from other religions-highlighted by various channels and press). Leaving aside 50 lakh voters who are underage non-eligible/ younger generation, the left overs come to 70 Lakhs, who were rejected by the SAD/SGPC club as Sehajdhari Sikhs and patits etc.These 70 Lakh Sikhs, who believe in Guru Granth as their Guru and have faith in 10 Gurus and have no other religion, would certainly register/ exercise their franchise and voting rights during approaching Assembly elections against ruling government who tried to take away their statutory voting rights through illegal means.