Congress In Trouble With SGPC Over Campaign Slogan
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
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By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-02-04 11:54:27
About the Author
Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.
View all posts by this Author
The woes of the Congress party in Punjab do not seem to end. With the party getting into top gear after releasing the list of candidates and the publicity material reaching every nook and corner of the state comes the news that the highest religious body of Sikhs, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee (SGPC) has objected to the campaign slogan of the party as being offensive to the Sikh Panth and has petitioned the Election Commission to ask the party from to refrain from using the slogan, remove all hoardings displaying it and issue a public apology.
The slogan in question is a take-off on the last lines of the Sikh prayer. The prayer goes 'Nanak Naam Charhdi Kala, Tere Bhane Sarbat Da Bhala'. Congress has turned it into 'Punjab Di Charhdi Kala, Congress Mange Sarbat Da Bhala'. The written complaint filed by SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami says that the party has done this for its personal and political interests. Dhami said that "in view of the Punjab elections, the Congress party has committed this deplorable act, which has caused great resentment among the Sangat".
It is true that politicians seek the 'blessings' of the people during elections when they go out and ask for their votes. But to change the meaning of Ardas where a Sikh prays to God to seek blessings for everyone for narrow political gains and seek blessing for the party will not do in the religiously-conscious state. The spin doctors and the campaign managers of the party have erred big time. It is surprising that with Navjot Singh Sidhu so concerned (and rightly so) about the sacrilege case, such a slip could happen under his watch. The Congress should make amends fast if it does not want to antagonize the Sikh body and lose support among the Sikhs.
