[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1132-E1133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         PUNJAB CHIEF MINISTER ATTACKED FOR ANTI-SIKH BEHAVIOR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, recently it has been discovered that the 
Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal, went and met with a 
Punjabi cult leader named Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, who claimed to be a 
baba and was recently in the news for dressing up as the last Sikh 
guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and offering Amrit to anyone who called. Amrit 
is a very sacred ceremony in the Sikh religion and it cannot be done by 
just anyone. Ram Rahim also has murder and rape charges pending against 
him. Yet Mr. Badal went to him and bowed, seeking votes. Ironically, 
Ram Rahim came out for Mr. Badal's political opponents, the Congress 
Party.
  As Chief Minister, one of Mr. Badal's chief responsibilities is 
maintaining law and order. Yet he seeks support from this fake 
religious leader instead of prosecuting him for the damage he has done 
to the Sikh community and to Punjab.
  Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, has 
issued a press release condenming Badal's activities. It shows that 
chief Minister is allied with the Indian government against the Sikh 
people. Remember that when Badal was chief Minister before, he presided 
over the most corrupt government in Punjab's history. They even renamed 
bribery ``fee for service.'' His wife could tell the amount of money in 
a bag just by picking it up.
  Only by freeing themselves of Indian rule will the Sikhs be able to 
rid themselves of this kind of anti-Sikh leadership. The U.S. 
government can help by stopping aid and trade with India until 
criminals such as Ram Rahim are prosecuted and all human rights are 
observed and by putting ourselves on record publicly in support of 
self-determination for the Sikhs of Punjab, Khalistan, the Muslims of 
Kashmir, the Christians of Nagalim, and all the people seeking freedom 
in South Asia in the form of a free and fair vote. Isn't that the 
democratic way? The people of Kashmir were promised a vote on their 
status in 1948. They're still waiting.
                                  ____
                                  

Council of Khalistan Deplores Anti-Sikh Behavior of Paraksh Singh Badal

       Washington, DC, May 22, 2007.--The Council of Khalistan 
     condemned the behavior of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh 
     Badal. It has recently surfaced that before the Punjab 
     elections, Badal and his son Sukhbir went to meet with Baba 
     Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh, leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda cult 
     which has brought about so much strife in Punjab. While 
     there, they bowed their heads to Ram Rahim. A Sikh is not 
     supposed to bow except to the Guru Granth Sahib. This is the 
     moral degeneration of the Akali leadership.
       Ironically, despite Badal's begging and pleading, Ram Rahim 
     supported the Congress Party in the recent elections in 
     Punjab. Now Badal is blaming his predecessor, Captain 
     Amarinder Singh, for the problem. Badal didn't even get votes 
     out of his shameful actions. Perhaps it's time he paid 
     attention to the Sikhs who elected him rather than the anti-
     Sikh BJP, his coalition partner, and the leaders in Delhi.
       Badal is the Chief Minister. As such, he is responsible for 
     law and order. Yet he refused to prosecute this fraudulent 
     baba pretending to be Guru Gobind Singh. There are pending 
     charges of murder and rape against Ram Rahim. Why does Badal 
     kowtow to him?
       ``There are no Deras or sects in the Sikh religion. There 
     is only one Sikh religion and Sikh Nation,'' said Dr. Gurmit 
     Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. ``Fake 
     Babas like Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh are part of the Indian 
     government's ongoing effort to weaken the Sikh religion and 
     prevent Sikhs from achieving freedom,'' he said. ``Sikh 
     leaders should not be dignifying them. Badal should be 
     prosecuting this fraudulent baba for these despicable acts:'
       ``Badal's conduct is shameful for a Sikh leader,'' said Dr. 
     Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. 
     ``This shameful conduct shows that Badal is under the 
     complete control of the Indian government, rather than 
     working for the Sikhs. We must free ourselves of corrupt, 
     anti-Sikh leaders like Badal and his friends by liberating 
     Khalistan,'' he said. ``Remember what former Akal Takht 
     Jathedar Professor Darshan Singh said: `If a Sikh is not a 
     Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.' ''
       A report issued by the Movement Against State Repression 
     (MASR) shows that India admitted that it held 52,268 
     political prisoners under the repressive ``Terrorist and 
     Disruptive Activities Act'' (TADA) even though it expired in 
     1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. There has 
     been no list published of those who were acquitted under TADA 
     and those who are still rotting in Indian jails. 
     Additionally, according to Amnesty International, there are 
     tens of thousands of other minorities being held as political 
     prisoners. MASR report quotes the Punjab Civil Magistracy as 
     writing ``if we add up the figures of the last few years the 
     number of innocent persons killed would run into lakhs 
     [hundreds of thousands.]'' The Indian government has murdered 
     over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, more than 300,000 Christians 
     in Nagaland, over 90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of 
     thousands of Christians and Muslims throughout the country, 
     and tens of thousands of Tamils, Assamese, Manipuris. and 
     others. The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian 
     government's murders of Sikhs ''worse than a genocide.''
       ``The Sikh masses must rise to the occasion and establish 
     new leadership that works for the interest of the Khalsa 
     Panth and abides by Sikh tradition,'' said Dr. Aulakh. 
     ``Badal and his son have betrayed the Sikh Rehat Maryada, 
     Sikh principles, and Sikh tradition. Their leadership must be 
     rejected for the interests of the Khalsa Panth. The Jathedar 
     of the Akal Takht must censure him for violating the Sikh 
     Rahat Maryada, betraying the Sikh Nation, and defaming the 
     Sikh religion,'' he said. ``Incidents like this test the 
     resolve of the Sikh Nation. The Khalsa Panth will never allow 
     the cult babas to dare to compare themselves with our revered 
     Guru Gobind Singh Sahib. who sacrificed his whole family for 
     the Chardi Kala of the Khalsa Panth,'' said Dr. Aulakh. 
     ``Remember Guru Gobind Singh's words: `Sava lath se ek 
     laraon, tabe nam Gobind Singh kahaon.' Also remember Guru's 
     blessing, `In grieb Sikh in ko deon patshahi.' Only a free 
     Khalistan will put a stop to occurrences like this. We must 
     continue to pray for and work for our God-given birthright of 
     freedom,'' he said. ``Without political power, religions 
     cannot flourish and nations perish. The time is now to free 
     Khalistan.''
                                  ____


                [From the Panthic Weekly, May 17, 2007]

        Badal and Family are Sacha Sauda Premis: Cult Spokesman

       Amritsar Sahib (KP)--At a news conference organized by the 
     Sacha Sauda Cult, photographic evidence was released 
     indicating that as recent as January of 2007, Shiromani Akali 
     Dal's president Parkash Badal, his son Sukhbir Badal, and 
     other Akalis met with the dehdahri-cult guru Ram-Rahim and 
     asked for his blessings.
       This announcement was made after a large Sikh conclave held 
     at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib called upon the Sikh Nation to 
     socially boycott the entire Sirsa cult, and demanded the 
     Punjab and Haryana Governments to take stern action against 
     the cult leader.
       Panthic observers doubt any action would be taken by the 
     Akal Takht Jathedars against the Badals, nor will the Punjab 
     Government take action against the cult. Parkash Badal's cozy 
     relationship between the Sauda leader and other similar cults 
     is now a widely accepted fact.
       The recent softening of the tone by Jathedar Joginder Singh 
     Vedanti is an indication that he does not want to ruffle the

[[Page E1133]]

     feathers of his Akali bosses. The recent call for a boycott 
     was not what Vedanti wanted--as evidenced by his silence at 
     the meeting--instead pressure from Jathedar Balwant Singh 
     Nandgarh and the Sikh Sangat left him no other option. 
     Observers predict ultimately it would be the Sikh Sangat that 
     will rise up against the onslaught of derawaad that has been 
     flourishing in Punjab under the Akali administration. Photos 
     such as the above should be ample proof for the agitating 
     Sikh Sangat which side of the fence the Akalis and their 
     puppet Jathedars are really standing on.

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