Grateful To Trudeau For Visit And For Bestowing Honour On Sikhs: SAD
The Shiromani Akali Dal today “profusely and wholeheartedly” thanked the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “for his expression of profound love and respect for the people of Punjab in general and the Sikhs in particular with his emotional visit to the state and by paying obeisance at Sach Khand Sri Harmandar Sahib in Sri Amritsar Sahib. “
A resolution adopted at a meeting of the Core Committee here this afternoon said, “The Punjabis in general and the Sikhs in particular feel deeply beholden to Prime Minister Trudeau, and to the people and the government of Canada for according a place of high honour to our brethren who have adopted Canada as their second home. We are specially touched by the gesture of the Government of Canada in putting our Sikh brethren and sisters in positions of high honour and great responsibility, including key cabinet berths in the federal government. On behalf of the people of Punjab , the Sikhs in particular, we express our profound gratitude to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the love and trust bestowed on our Punjabi brothers and sisters by him.”
The Core Committee meeting was chaired by the party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and was attended, among others, by Jathedear Ranjit Singh Brahampura, S Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, S Balwinder Singh Bhunder, S Charanjit Singh Atwal, S Nirmal Singh Kahlon, S Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Prof Prem Singh Chandunmajra, Dr Daljit Singh Chema., S Maesh Inder Singh Grewal , S Gulzar Singh Ranike and S Sharanjit Singh Dhillon ,
Giving details of the meeting to the media, the party spokesperson Harcharan Bains said that the Core Committee regretted that the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh chose the auspicious occasion of Prime Minister Trudeau’s visit to raise issues of unpleasant nature, especially as these issues did not even fall in the purview of his jurisdiction. In the process, he let slip a great opportunity to spread more goodwill and to focus on relevant issues for the welfare of Punjabis settled in Canada.
The Core Committee expressed grave concern over the tragic plight of the farmers in the state and expressed deep and serious concern over the deep and deepening crisis enveloping the farming community.
The SAD has constituted a high powered committee headed by Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal to go into the entire gamut of problems faced by the farmers as a result of a the grave agricultural crisis being .
The Committee will comprise, apart from Mr S S Badal, Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahampura, S Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, S Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Mr Jathedar Tota Singh and Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra.
It will suggest ways to ameliorate the lot of the farmers and suggest ways to make farming a lucrative profession. At the moment, the farmers are not able to recover even the bare costs they incur on production and a result they are being crushed under the burden of the ever mounting debt.
In another significant decision, the SAD decided to approach the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ms Mehbooba Mufti to seek redressal of the grievances and problems being faced by the members of the Sikh community in that state.
A delegation headed by the party president and former Deputy Chief Minister Punjab, S Sukhbir Singh Badal will meet the J&K CM and highlight the problems of the Sikh community in Jammu and Kashmir, especially those relating to education, the recognition of and respect for their minority status, and provision for providing greater employment opportunities to them in accordance with their merit and qualifications and their minority status.
The delegation will also raise the issue of the implementation of the Anand Marriage Act. The delegation to be led by the SAD president will also comprise the SGPC Chief S Gobind Singh Longowal , Jathedar R S Brahampura, S Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, S Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra.
The delegation will also call on the Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and apprise of the problems and difficulties being faced by members of the minority Sikh community in J&K and some other parts of the country and urge him to help in expediting the implementation of the Anand Marriage Act throughout the country.
