Patiala, April 4

The Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) is in the process of putting together a “people front” in Punjab to take on both the SAD-BJP combine and the Congress during forthcoming elections to the state Assembly. The SHSAD is holding talks with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in this regard.

Talking to newsmen here, SHSAD President Gurcharan Singh Tohra said efforts were on to ensure that the BSP would form part of the front. He said other front members would include the Left parties and the Akali Dal (Amritsar).

Mr Tohra ruled out any rapprochement with the SAD. When his attention was drawn to a recent statement by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Jagdev Singh Talwandi that he should not put up too many preconditions, he said Jathedar Talwandi could deliver sermons on this subject to him only if he had approached him with any unity proposal.

Tha Akali leader also charged the Akali-BJP government with criminalising politics saying the government must come out with the truth regarding allegations that a former Panthic Committee member and Khalistan Commando Force chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal was seen at a marriage function of an Akali functionary. He said the fact that Zaffarwal, as stated by the reports, was accompanied by his own personal security guards, was shocking and proved that the government and the intelligence agencies knew of his presence in the state.

Mr Tohra said there were earlier reports about an appeal made by the militant urging people to vote for the SAD candidate in the Majitha byelection. He said while it was the prerogative of the Central Government to hold talks with such elements, people had the right to know why Zaffarwal was being allowed to freely roam about in the state in this manner.

The Akali leader also alleged that the people were not getting justice from the police administration. He said he had brought such cases to the notice of Patiala Zone Inspector-General of Police R.S. Gill. He said giving a recent example the Patiala police was still unable to arrest the main accused responsible for the attack on his party’s working committee member Gursew Singh Harpalpur recently in which the latter had been seriously wounded. He said the police must function in fair manner so that people could retain trust in them.