On July 31, a video made it to social media in which a member of the pro-Khalistani organization Dal Khalsa’s spokesperson Paramjit Singh Mand urged Sikhs not to hoist Tiranga under the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ movement from August 13 to August 15. A video of a meeting of Sikh Groups at Bargari Morcha, Behbal Kalan, on July 31 was published by Rehmat TV. It is pertinent to note that Mand is the same person who has previous hailed Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The Sikh Groups called the meeting over the inaction of the AAP-led government against sacrilege incidents that have happened in Punjab over the years. Earlier, Cabinet Minister Harjot Bains had met Sikh Groups and asked for six months over the pending cases but Sikh leaders denied it. Notably, CM Bhagwant Mann has promised quick action in the pending cases if AAP forms the government in the state.
In his address to the attendees of the meeting, Mand said, “On August 15, government officials hoist National Flag Tiranga on every government establishment. It happens in every school as well. This year, the Chief Minister will hoist the flag in Ludhiana. If you want to poke the system, the only way is by ‘gherao’ the officials who will go to hoist the flag. We are not going to disturb the program, but action has to be taken.”
He added, “Before going to corner the officials, make sure to announce your plans. Secondly, if you have read the papers, the government machinery has received the message [from the centre]. They have made crores of Tirangas for ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ movement. Do not take this lightly. Do not think that you do not need to react over the distribution of crores of Tirangas.”
Connecting Indian National Flag to Operation Blue Star, he said, “They will force you to hoist Tiranga at your houses. They will question you why you have not hoisted the flag. This is the same flag under which the attack at Darbar Sahib took place. They killed our people and did sacrilege to Guru Granth Sahib. The same Tiranga will be hoisted on your houses.”
He added, “To challenge their movement, we have decided that on every house in the state, the symbol of Khalsa (Nishan Sahib) will be hoisted. If someone does not accept Khalisai, they are free to hoist a flag of any colour but Tiranga. If you agree to this, a message will be sent to India. Above all, Punjab is known for the fact that you cannot force us to do anything. They cannot force us to hoist Tiranga. We do not accept this.”
He further stated that his organization and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) boycott August 15 celebrations every year. They call it a black day. “We should do this at a larger platform. Everyone should contribute to this movement. This is not a cause of a small community. Jam the roads. Bring more people to join our movement. You have to press the neck of the enemy. They challenged us by killing our people. Now we will challenge them by not hoisting Tiranga. On August 15, the Kesari flag will be hoisted on every roof in Punjab.”
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ is a campaign under the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to hoist the Indian National flag to mark the 75th year of India’s independence. The aim is not only to strengthen the personal connection to the nation but also an embodiment of our commitment to nation-building. It will provoke a feeling of patriotism in the hearts of citizens of India and will promote awareness about the National Flag.
