New Delhi: A large number of Sikhs, including members of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, joined the BJP on Saturday. Citing a host of measures taken by the government to help the minority community, BJP president J P Nadda on the occasion said if anybody has really worked for the community, it is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda also cited central government decisions such as the opening of the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, the FCRA registration for donations to the Golden Temple and the action against accused in the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. He said the BJP highly regarded the contribution and sacrifices of the community for the country and will keep working for its welfare. The BJP has been in an overdrive to deepen its bond with Sikhs and is looking to put up a strong fight in the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, where they are in a majority. A number of well known Sikh politicians from the state have joined the party recently.
Tag: Sikh
-
Shillong Sikhs likely to move court again over land takeover by Meghalaya government
By Express News Service
GUWAHATI: A Sikh organisation in Meghalaya is likely to move court again as the state government has taken possession of a piece of land despite the Meghalaya High Court and the National Commission for Minorities passing separate orders to maintain the status quo.
The Harijan Panchayat Committee, which has for long been fighting the case, said it would soon meet and take a decision.
“We are in touch with our lawyers. We will meet soon and chalk out our future course of actions,” Gurjit Singh, who is the secretary of the committee, told The New Indian Express.
The case has been pending in the high court for the past few years.
Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong had on Friday announced that the government took possession of the land at Harijan Colony in Shillong after paying a premium of over Rs 2 crore to the Syiem (king) of Mylliem, the original owner of the land.
Some 250 Sikh families have been settled at Harijan Colony, also known as Punjabi Lane, for over 200 years. It is a prime location.
On March 31, a deed of lease was signed among the state government, the Syiem of Mylliem and the Shillong Municipal Board. As per the pact, the leased premises, measuring 12,444.13 square metres, would be handed over to the government.
Tynsong, who headed a High Level Committee that submitted various recommendations on the issue to the government, sought cooperation from the Harijan Colony residents.
The government wants to relocate them to another part of Shillong but they are resisting the move. The state’s Urban Affairs Department has plans to convert the area into a parking lot or use it to build a shopping complex. It could also be used for the purpose of beautification.
“Nobody should think we are throwing them out. We want to relocate them to a proper place,” Tynsong said.
The Opposition Congress in the state slammed him recently for his statement that the government would evict the residents whether or not his National People’s Party wins the by-elections to three seats.