LUDHIANA:Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia today appealed to the central government to release all Sikh detenues including Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana even as he condemned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for not signing the release orders of Prof Devinderpal Singh Bhullar.
The former minister was on a visit here to meet Bhai Rajoana’s sister Bibi Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana and share insights about the former’s character as well as his love and respect for all religions and humankind. “I had promised myself that I will visit Bibi Rajoana and share my reminiscences of the time spent with Bhai ji with her. Bhai Rajoana is a model prisoner who has always abided by all rules and procedures and a devout Sikh who spends his time in ‘nitnem’ besides carrying out his duties in prison. He follows the dictum of ‘sarbat da bhala’ and has love for all mankind including birds and animals which frequent the jail premisis. He is a fit case for release and those opposing it are deliberately creating a Hindu-Sikh divide for their petty political gains. Not doing so would amount to violating his human rights”.
Asking the central government to release Bhai Rajoana, Mr Bikram Majithia said the union government had given a commitment in this regard during the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji. “Even the Supreme Court has asked it to take a decision on this matter. The entire Sikh community feels Bhai ji should be released as he has been incarcerated for more than 27 years which amounts to a double life sentence. Even international laws say no one can be kept in prison for so long”. He also made it clear that Bhai Rajoana had been swayed by intense emotions when he witnessed the desecration of Sri Akal Takth Sahib as well as the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 on the directions of the Congress party. “He was also anguished by the policy of false encounters being followed in Punjab. He has been punished for his actions which he has never denied but now deserves to be released”.
Mr Majithia said similarly all other Sikh detenues who had been incarcerated for periods of more than 26 years should also be released. He also gave the example of Rajiv Gandhi killers who had been released from prison while condemning Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for not signing the release orders of Devinderpal Singh Bhullar for more than seven months now.
Answering a media query, Mr Majithia said Arvind Kejriwal was not voicing his “solution” to the SYL canal issue because “his basic solution is to take away Punjab waters and give them to Haryana and Delhi. The SAD will never ever accept this solution and is ready for any sacrifice to defeat this conspiracy to snatch Punjab’s river waters from it”. He also condemned chief minister Bhagwant Mann for becoming a party to this conspiracy to stick to this chief minister’s chair.
In reply to another query, the former minister said Delhi’s bogus claims on education had been exposed by three national surveys one after the other. “Only an independent agency can judge the education system of a State and in the case of Delhi three different surveys rated the Punjab school system and students of Punjab higher than Delhi. It is high time to jettison the Delhi Model in Punjab”, he added