We are fully aware of our constitutional and moral obligation: Badal

by Punjabnewswire4u (Balbir)

CHANDIGARH, JUNE 21

The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, said here today that peace and communal harmony in Punjab ‘is not only the top priority but the most sacred mission’ for the SAD BJP Government. “We are fully alive to our constitutional and moral obligation in this regard and we are here to fulfill that. No one will be allowed to threaten these sacred goals,” said Mr. Badal.

           Speaking on the floor of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the budget session, Mr. Badal struck a strong personal emotional note and said, “Peace and communal harmony in Punjab is a matter of sacred faith for me and I am committed to defend it with my life. Even if I have to shed the last drop of my blood for peace and communal harmony in the state, I will consider that a part of my religious duty and will be proud of that. This is my sacred commitment to the people of Punjab.”

    The Chief Minister said that he considered the restoration of peace and communal harmony in Punjab as his greatest achievement. “Its preservation in future also is my most cherished goal and mission,” he said.

           Speaking about what he described as “the unpleasant and dangerous controversy created by the Congress party over a religious monument at Sachkhand Shri Harmandar Sahib  to commemorate the tragic army assault in June 1984”, Mr. Badal said that the Congress objections to the monument to the army assault on the Golden Temple in June 1984, Mr. Badal described the Congress act as “highly ill advised and totally avoidable.  With this act,  the party is trying to disturb the hard earned atmosphere of peace and communal harmony in the state.”  This, he said, was  extremely unfortunate, dangerous and deplorable.

         Talking about the monument, Mr. Badal said that the matter was considered by eminent scholars and thinkers and their decision was that the monument should be a “a shrine ( Gurdwara Sahib) within the precincts of the Holy Shri Harmandar Sahib. The divine presence of Holy Shri Guru Granth Sahib will grace this shrine to symbolize the spread of the message of peace, communal harmony and human brotherhood throughout the country and the world.”

  Tracing the background of the tragedy of June 1984 and the decision of the religious bodies to set up a monument, Mr. Badal said Sachkhand Shri Harmandar Sahib is the fountainhead of spiritual bliss for the whole mankind. From here flow unending melodious ‘songs  celestial’ spreading the fragrance of love and human brotherhood and unity and harmony to people from all religions and all walks of life all over the world. The divine beauty of this supreme spiritual seat of  Eternal Truth is captured in the holy line: “ Dithe sabhe thao nahin tudh jehia”…Most painfully and shockingly, the Congress government at the Center in 1984 ordered and carried out a brutal army assault  on this house of God which spreads  eternal human love and spiritual peace and bliss all around. This exceedingly painful event not only  left deep wounds on the psyche of the Sikh masses but also outraged all right thinking people all over the country and the world.

The Chief Minister quoted eminent national figures like former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, senior leaders George Fernandes and Madhu Dandvate to highlight the tragic short-sightedness in the decision to mount an army assault on Darbar Sahib and said that this exceedingly painful event not only left deep wounds on the psyche of the Sikh masses but also outraged all right thinking people all over the country and the world.