Opinion Advani Recalls Legacy Of Sacrifice Of Sikhs

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Advani recalls legacy of sacrifice of Sikhs
Kanchan Vasdev
Tribune News Service ​

Ludhiana, December 20


Former Deputy Prime Minister and BJP leader Lal Krishan Advani today eulogised the Sikhs by listing their sacrifices, stating that their legacy started from the era of the Gurus, continued throughout the freedom struggle and later during the Emergency.



The leader of the saffron party left no stone unturned to express his admiration for the Sikhs when he said the the legacy of sacrifices of Sikh Gurus was carried forward not only by freedom fighters and revolutionaries but also SAD leaders during the Emergency in 1977.
Advani was in the city today to participate in the state-level martyrdom day of Baba Jiwan Singh, popularly known as Bhai Jaita ji here today.



Recalling his visit to the Cellular Jail in the Andamans when he was a Home Minister, Advani said he was touched to find that the jails inmates who underwent torture at that time were mostly Sikhs.



While remembering Bhagat Singh as the strongest revolutionary of his times, the BJP leader even equated the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with the martyrs when he recalled how Badal remained behind bars during the Emergency.



‘‘It is largely because of SAD heroes that we are breathing in fresh air today,’’ remarked Advani.


During his first public appearance after handing over the baton to the new BJP team, the elderly leader was caught napping on the stage while CM Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal were seen sitting by his side. Advani spoke for a few minutes and left the venue soon after as his chopper pilot expressed concern over an overcast sky.



Later CM Badal appealed to the people of Punjab not to be carried away by the ‘‘divisive forces’’ that were at work in the state. He cautioned that Punjab had already seen bloodshed in the past and suffered immensely, adding that the state could not afford yet another disturbance.



‘‘Sikhism teaches religious harmony and oneness of God. We should allow people of all religions to practise their faith freely,’’ he said.