Renewing his firm pledge to get back the Punjabi speaking areas and Chandigarh, hitherto deprived of the state, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would vehemently raise these issues with the Government of India (GoI).Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of a function organized to pay tributes to Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman here today, the Chief Minister said that every Punjabi was equally concerned with these emotive issues of the state, which have been till now hanging in fire due to the discriminatory attitude of the successive Congress governments at the centre. He said that the SAD had always remained a votary of giving the Punjabi speaking areas, legitimate share of river waters and Chandigarh back to Punjab and in future also this struggle would be ever continued. Taking the Congress party to cudgels, Mr. Badal said that the Congress party has deliberately denied the Punjabi speaking areas and Chandigarh to Punjab, for which the wise and brave Punjabis would never forgive them.
Earlier paying floral tributes to Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman, the Chief Minister said that this great son of soil had laid down his life while observing fast unto death for the sake of getting back the Punjabi speaking areas and Chandigarh back to the state. He said that supreme sacrifice made by the Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman would always inspire the coming generations to vigorously struggle for safeguarding the interests of the state. Mr. Badal also recalled the marvelous services rendered by Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman during the national freedom struggle and the Gurdwara Reform Movement in the state.
Regretting that none of state government had ever recognized the immense contribution of Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman, the Chief Minister said that from the next year a state level function would be held annually to mark the death anniversary of this great martyr, who laid down his life for the sake of Punjab after 74 days of hunger strike. He said that Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman was an epitome of nationalism and patriotism who had always upheld the ethos of self sacrifice and bravery as propagated by the Sikh Gurus. Mr. Badal said that Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman had launched a vigorous struggle against the tyrannies and oppression of the Britishers and then of the Congress government at centre which had denied Punjabi speaking areas and even its capital to the Punjab.
The Chief Minister bemoaned that even after more than four decades of death of Shaheed Darshan Singh Pheruman these vexed issues were still unresolved because the Congress had always meted out step motherly treatment to the state. He cautioned the people to beware of the perpetrators of the Operation Blue Star and Genocide of Sikhs in 1984 and don’t get swayed away by the malicious propaganda of the Congress leaders.Prominent amongst other present on the occasion included Lok Sabha MP Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, MLAs Mr. Manjit Singh Mianwind and Mr. Baljeet Singh Jalaal Usma, former MP Mr. Rajmohinder Singh Majitha, former MLA Mr. Manmohan Singh Sathiala, President of District unit of SAD Jathedar Veer Singh Lopoke, Member Zila Parishad Mr. Ranjeet Singh and Youth Akali leader Mr. Harjeet Singh.