Sikh history book controversy: SAD-BJP delegation meets governor
The SAD and the BJP today sought the Punjab governor's "urgent and effective" intervention to stop the state government from going ahead with its "deep-rooted and disastrous conspiracy" to "systematically murder" Sikh history, heritage and culture.
In the wake of a controversy over alleged deletion of chapters on Sikh Gurus from Class 12 history book by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), a delegation of the two allies led by Sukhbir Singh Badal and Shwait Malik, the chiefs of the SAD and the BJP's Punjab unit respectively, met Governor V P Singh Badnore here.
After the meeting, Badal said the delegation came out of the meeting with "constructive and positive vibes".
A memorandum presented to the governor warned the state government against its "brazen obstinacy in sticking to the course of confrontation against the history and heritage of the great gurus and against the great people of Punjab."
It alleged that the conspiracy was aimed at erasing all traces of Sikh faith, Sikh ideology and Sikh way of living from the minds of the people.
"This is part of a deep-rooted conspiracy to deliver a death-blow to the rare, unmatched and proud history and heritage of the Sikh faith founded by the Gurus," Badal alleged.
He informed reporters that the delegation told the governor that the state government's "systematic act of murdering" Punjabi, especially Sikh history is a direct onslaught on the principles, the faith and the heritage revered by the followers of the Sikh religion.
"The government's brazen and obstinate refusal to respect the sentiments of the Sikh masses in this regard has caused deep and widespread wave of pain, anxiety and anger in the minds of Sikhs all over the world.
"They have either failed or deliberately refused to realise that the priceless heritage of Gurus also adorns our national history and is glorious part of the humanity's spiritual heritage," Badal said.
For reasons best known to the PSEB and the state government, they have decided that the history of Punjab and the Sikhs is not a serious enough subject to be studied by the students of class 12, he said, adding thus they have relegated Punjab and Sikh history to class 11 or even lower than that.
Earlier Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had lambasted the opposition for trying to spread "misinformation" on a sensitive religious issue and had said that they had shown "gross irresponsibility" by making a "baseless" public statement without bothering to check the facts.
Today, Badal and Malik asserted that the Punjabis and the Sikhs will never allow anyone to destroy the unparalleled history of the state and the history and heritage of the proud, brave and patriotic Sikh community.
The memorandum stated that the two parties believed in the resolution of the problem through a constructive approach.
"The Chief Minister was requested that pending such a solemn and high level inquiry, the old syllabus and books containing detailed chapters on Punjab and Sikh history be restored for studies in the on-going session for students of both Class 11 and Class 12 so that students did not suffer because of the sins of the guilty officials," it stated. PTI
