Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday expressed concern over Akal Takht's acting Jathedar Gi Harpreet Singh's remark that Sikhs were not safe even in India.
A statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said the Chief Minister has asked the Takht to put pressure on the Akalis to end all ties with the ruling alliance at the Centre, which is unable to ensure a sense of safety among the minorities in the country.
"While he himself did not agree with the Akal Takht Jathedar's remarks that Sikhs were not safe in India, the Chief Minister said that if the former did feel that way, then he should take up the matter with the Shirom Akali Dal (SAD) and ask them to leave the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre, of which they are a part," the statement said.
The statement further said, "Unlike Pakistan, India had always taken pride in being a secular nation, with no discrimination on religious grounds."
Chief Minister Amarinder said that any feeling among the Sikh community that they were not secure here was a matter of grave concern. "If Sikhs were feeling insecure in this country, as stated by the Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Gi Harpreet Singh, then it was the dispensation at the Centre, which was to blame," stressed he.
Captain Amarinder said that while some incidents here and there could not be construed to be a case of Sikhs not being safe in India, the perception was as important as reality. The Sikhs have lived through a very dark period in the 1980s and any feeling of being at the receiving end in any way would revive their sense of fear, which would be detrimental to the community's interest, as well as that of the nation, he added.
Citing the SAD's hypocrisy on the issue of CAA, Captain Amarinder asked the Akalis to take a clear stand on the issues relating to minorities in India and stop playing double games on such matters.
"It is time they realised that they could not continue being part of the coalition at the Centre, which had failed to protect the minorities in the country, and yet claim to be guardians of these very minorities," he said.
( With inputs from ANI )