Left parties appeals for peace in Punjab

New Delhi May 22: Expressing deep concern at the recent developments in Punjab, the Left parties today appealed to the people there to rebuff the extremists on both sides, who they said, were out to sow ''seeds of discord''.

While the CPI(M) observed that intervention by the religious orgnisations could have dangerous implications, the CPI said nobody should hurt the religious sentiments of the other sect.

The CPI(M), in a statement here, said sequence of events following the controversial act by the chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda had led to an escalation of tensions and clashes between the followers of the Sikh religious organisations and the Dera Sacha Sauda.

''It is unfortunate that the Akal Takht and the five high priests gave a call for a state-wide bandh on May 22 and an ultimatum to the state government to seal all assets of the Dera by May 27. This type of intervention by religious organisations in the public and political spheres has dangerous implications. One has to only recall the histroy of violence and terroist activities which were unleashed in Punjab in the 1980s,'' the statement said.

The party said certain actions of the Dera Sacha Sauda had already come under the purview of the law and the cases must be persued.

The Akali-BJP govenment in Punjab cannot take a soft attitude towards this ''growing intervention'' of the religious bodies, it said.

''It must firmly discharge its constitutional obligations to maintain peace and protect the rights of all communities,'' the CPI(M) added.

CPI National Secretary, Shamim Faizi, said the Congress should also realise that the present conflict was a fallout of the ''unwise decision'' to drag the Dera Sacha Sauda in the political arena during the recent state assembly polls.

''Nobody should hurt the religous sentiments of the other sect.

It will be better if the Dera chief himself takes an initiatve to patch up and calm down the situation,'' Mr Faizi added.

UNI

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