Bill for a separate Sikh identity: RSS wing questions Akali move

NEW DELHI : Former deputy chief minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal’s push for amending Article 25 of the Constitution to identify Sikhism as a separate religion is an expedient tool for political gains, the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), said.

“Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has no ideology, it follows the policy of duplicity. When in power it says one thing and when out of power, it makes statements that are sensational,” GS Gill, national president of the Sangat, said on Thursday. The BJP is an ally of the SAD and the RSS is the ideological mentor of the BJP.

In an interview to HT, Sukhbir had underlined his party’s position to press for an amendment to the Constitution, but Gill questioned the stance.

According to the 2011 census, nearly 30% of Punjab’s population comprises Scheduled Castes (SC), and if Sikhism is not clubbed with Hinduism, these people will lose the benefits of reservation. “SCs in Punjab will not be able to enjoy the quota benefits. Why should they suffer?” Gill said.

Reacting to Badal’s statement, the RSS reiterated that it did not seek to merge Sikhism with Hinduism. “RSS recognises Sikhism as a separate religion. And in spite of all the diversities, we are one people, one nation,” Manmohan Vaidya, the all India spokesperson of the RSS told HT.

Sikh groups have accused the RSS of trying to subsume the Sikh identity within the Hindu fold. “The Sangat and the RSS have always respected our gurus and our faith as a separate religion, there is no scope for confusion over this issue,” Gill said.

› SAD has no ideology... When in power it says one thing and when out of power, it makes statements that are sensational. GS GILL, president of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat