[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E76-E77]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HIGHEST SIKH RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY SEEMS TO BE UNDER HINDUTVA CONTROL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 11, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, the Council of Khalistan recently sent a 
letter to Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, who 
has been promoting a piece of flim-flam known as the Dasam Granth, in 
which several writers took a snippet of the writing of the last Sikh 
guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and added other items, some pornographic, 
trying to pass it off as the genuine work of Guru Gobind Singh in order 
to damage the Sikh religion. Jathedar Vedanti's endorsement of the 
Dasam Granth makes him a participant in this effort to undermine the 
Sikh culture and religion.
  The Council of Khalistan urged the Jathedar to stop diverting the 
attention of the Sikhs to this severely altered book and instead to 
focus on the issue of freedom for Khalistan. He noted that on the two 
occasions last year when Sikh leaders were arrested for making speeches 
in support of Khalistan and raising a Khalistani flag, there was no 
protest from Jathedar Vedanti.
  It is time for as to support the legitimate aspirations of the Sikhs 
and all the minorities of India who are seeking their freedom by 
stopping our aid to India, suspending our trade with that country and 
by supporting the right to self-determination for all the minority 
nations of the subcontinent. Self-determination is the

[[Page E77]]

essence of democracy. Why can't ``the world's largest democracy'' hold 
a simple vote on this fundamental question?
  Madam Speaker, I would like to insert the Council of Khalistan's 
letter to Jathedar Vedanti into the Record at this time for the 
information of the American people.


                                         Council of Khalistan,

                                  Washington, DC, January 9, 2007.
     S. Joginder Singh Vedanti,
     Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Golden Temple, Arnritsar, Punjab, 
         India
       Dear Jathedar Vedanti: I am writing to you about the Dasam 
     Granth, which you have been promoting as the genuine writing 
     of Guru Gobind Singh. The issue of its authorship was settled 
     long ago. As you know, the authors of the Dasam Granth 
     identify themselves within the text and only a small part is 
     written by Guru Gobind Singh. The rest was appended by Hindu 
     writers looking to harm the Sikh religion. Much of it is 
     pornographic. For a jathedar of the Akal Takht to promote it 
     as genuine Sikh scripture, especially since Guru Gobind Singh 
     left the Guruship in the Guru Granth Sahib, is harmful to the 
     Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation. Sikhs should bow only to 
     the Guru Granth Sahih, nothing else.
       The Dasam Granth is not the real issue. Do not get 
     sidetracked, and do not sidetrack the Sikh Nation from the 
     real issue, freedom and sovereignty for Khalistan. Do not let 
     this controversy divert and waste the resources of the Sikh 
     Nation from the preservation of our religion and culture.
       It is vitally important that the Akal Takht Jathedar, the 
     spiritual leader of the Sikh religion, be committed to the 
     well-being of the Sikh Nation. Preserving its history, 
     religion, culture, and scripture is essential to that well-
     being, especially when it is under assault from Hindus who 
     are trying to subsume the Sikh religion and culture into 
     those of the Hindus as part of Hindutva. Remember that a 
     former Cabinet minister said that everyone who lives in India 
     must either be a Hindu or be subservient to Hindus. But also 
     remember the words of your predecessor, Professor Darshan 
     Singh, who said, ``If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a 
     Sikh.''
       Jathedar Vedanti, the duty of the Jathedar of the Akal 
     Takht is to protect, promote, and disseminate the Sikh 
     religion. How can we do that within the framework of India 
     when India is working to destroy the Sikh religion? The 
     experience of tbe Jewish people shows that when a nation has 
     sovereignty, it flourishes, but when it does not it perishes.
       The only way to preserve, promote, and disseminate the Sikh 
     religion and culture is in a free and sovereign Khalistan. 
     Yet when Sikh leaders in Punjab were arrested last year 
     simply for making speeches and raising the Khalistani flag, 
     we did not hear a word of protest from the Akal Takht. Nor 
     did we hear a protest of the actions of the Badal government 
     in Punjab, the most corrupt in Punjab's history. The Badal 
     government even sold jobs--they called it ``fee for service'' 
     and Mrs. Badal was able to tell how much money was in a bag 
     just by picking it up.
       Please do not let your energy be diverted to issues like 
     the Dasam Granth, which has long become known to be altered. 
     We need every Sikh to help bring freedom, dignity, 
     prosperity, and security is in a free, sovereign, independent 
     Khalistan. Discussion of issues like the Dasam Granth merely 
     diverts the Khalsa Panth from freedom and sets back the cause 
     of protecting the Khalsa Panth.
           Panth Da Sewadar,
                                          Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh,
     President, Council of Khalistan.

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