Jalandhar: Amid major diplomatic crisis between India and Canada which has pushed Sikhs to the centrestage, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday called upon all political parties and leaders in Punjab to counter the propaganda to demonise Sikhs and other Punjabis.
“I urge all political parties and leaders to close ranks and give a united call against vicious propaganda to vilify and demonise #Sikhs and other Punjabis. We must jointly condemn the vicious attempts of some anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh forces to paint our youth as anti-national and terrorist,” Sukhbir tweeted on Saturday evening.
The tweet reads further that: “Punjabis especially Sikhs have made unparalleled sacrifices, symbolised by Babbar Akalis, Gadari Babas, Kala Pani (Andaman & Nicobar islands) and Komagata Maru movements and by heroic martyrs like Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, Lala Lajpat Rai. Political parties must jointly urge media houses to stop anti-Sikh vilification. We appeal to all our countrymen not to be misled by the anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh propaganda. Our constitution declares India to be a Union of States, with ‘unity in diversity’ as its foundational principle. Let’s respect that.”
Sikh and Punjabi netizens, including Congress MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Pargat Singh, have also been flagging the issue.
Punjab Congress and SAD have together expressed solidarity with Canada-based Punjabi rapper Shubmeet Singh ‘Shubh’, whose India tour was cancelled after Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha branded him a Khalistan sympathiser. The controversy gained traction against the backdrop of the diplomatic crisis.
On Saturday, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “To label our youth as anti-national without any reason is highly condemnable. Whether it was freedom movement or to protect human rights, Punjabis were in the front line. We don’t need to give any proof of our loyalty to the country.”
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia made a statement with one word “sunanage” (will listen) while sharing a song sung by Shubh. Later, he took a dig at AAP while sharing a screenshot of a tweet earlier posted by MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon that he later deleted. “A tweet done from heart was got deleted by Delhi-walas…the 92 MLAs can’t even stand up for Punjabi youths without permission (from Delhi),” he tweeted.
Pro-farmer twitter handle @Tractor2twitr_P tweeted “….There’s more to come. Fasten your seat belts. CM @BhagwantMann do ask @ArvindKejriwal if you can speak up for one of your own. Every Panjabi artist/player is a kh@listani as per the self proclaimed ‘nationalists’ who keep on forcing a never existent Akhand Bharat map but can’t understand that blackout is indeed black in colour.”
“I urge all political parties and leaders to close ranks and give a united call against vicious propaganda to vilify and demonise #Sikhs and other Punjabis. We must jointly condemn the vicious attempts of some anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh forces to paint our youth as anti-national and terrorist,” Sukhbir tweeted on Saturday evening.
The tweet reads further that: “Punjabis especially Sikhs have made unparalleled sacrifices, symbolised by Babbar Akalis, Gadari Babas, Kala Pani (Andaman & Nicobar islands) and Komagata Maru movements and by heroic martyrs like Shaheed-e-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, Lala Lajpat Rai. Political parties must jointly urge media houses to stop anti-Sikh vilification. We appeal to all our countrymen not to be misled by the anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh propaganda. Our constitution declares India to be a Union of States, with ‘unity in diversity’ as its foundational principle. Let’s respect that.”
Sikh and Punjabi netizens, including Congress MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Pargat Singh, have also been flagging the issue.
Punjab Congress and SAD have together expressed solidarity with Canada-based Punjabi rapper Shubmeet Singh ‘Shubh’, whose India tour was cancelled after Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha branded him a Khalistan sympathiser. The controversy gained traction against the backdrop of the diplomatic crisis.
On Saturday, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said, “To label our youth as anti-national without any reason is highly condemnable. Whether it was freedom movement or to protect human rights, Punjabis were in the front line. We don’t need to give any proof of our loyalty to the country.”
SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia made a statement with one word “sunanage” (will listen) while sharing a song sung by Shubh. Later, he took a dig at AAP while sharing a screenshot of a tweet earlier posted by MLA Gurdit Singh Sekhon that he later deleted. “A tweet done from heart was got deleted by Delhi-walas…the 92 MLAs can’t even stand up for Punjabi youths without permission (from Delhi),” he tweeted.
Pro-farmer twitter handle @Tractor2twitr_P tweeted “….There’s more to come. Fasten your seat belts. CM @BhagwantMann do ask @ArvindKejriwal if you can speak up for one of your own. Every Panjabi artist/player is a kh@listani as per the self proclaimed ‘nationalists’ who keep on forcing a never existent Akhand Bharat map but can’t understand that blackout is indeed black in colour.”