Mann sppeals to Hooda on Dera-Sikh row cases

Fatehabad, Aug 20 (UNI) The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann today appealed to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to withdraw all cases registered against Sikhs in Haryana in connection with the ongoing Sikh-Dera row.

He said that he would soon meet Mr Hooda in this connection and seek his intervention as the police had booked many ''innocent Sikhs, including some advocates, recently in this regard'' Talking to media persons at village Ahrewan near here today, Mann said that his party was against vitiating the peaceful atmosphere of Haryana in the ongoing Sikh-Dera row and had suggested that the Sikh conclave against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh be organised at Kilianwali in Punjab.

He alleged that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wanted to shift the agitation to ''grind his political axe and hence he made the Akal Takht Jathedar announce the Ratia conclave, which was later postponed sensing resentment among Sikh masses''.

Mann further alleged that Mr Badal wanted to create a rift between Hindus and Sikhs in Haryana so that Sikhs of this state fall back on him for his support.

The SAD (A) leader said that his party was now organising a big conference at Sunam in Punjab on August 22 to force the government take some concrete action against the Dera chief. ''Once the dera chief was put behind the bars, many more skeletons were likely to come out of the cupboard,'' Mr Mann said.

On the question of water disputes between Punjab and Haryana, Mann said that Haryana had no right to waters flowing in rivers falling under the Punjab territory.

He rather suggested that the areas of Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Cheeka, Panchkula and parts of Fatehabad and Hisar be included in Punjab as, he claimed, these were Punjabi-speaking areas.

He said that this would automatically end the demand of more waters by Haryana as these areas would then have access to waters coming under the Punjab share.

He said that he was not averse to the idea of a separate gurdwara management committee for Haryana in case Sikhs of this state so wanted.

UNI