CHANDIGARH: Tensions between the Damdami Taksal and a section of Khalistani supporters have intensified after the managing committee of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, criticised Damdami Taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Khalsa, alias Dhumma. The gurdwara, once headed by Khalistani militant Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has called for a boycott of Dhumma, accusing him of aligning with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Mahayuti coalition in the recent Maharashtra assembly elections. In a video statement, Bhupinder Singh Hothi, general secretary of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, accompanied by secretary Gurmeet Singh Toor and others, alleged that Dhumma’s support for the BJP is evidence of his ties with the government, which they claim was responsible for Nijjar’s death. “In the past, Harnam Singh Khalsa alias Dhumma has been hand in glove with the government. It is now common knowledge that Dhumma had appealed to the Sikh community in Maharashtra to support the BJP in the recent assembly elections,” said Hothi. He further added that Dhumma should be boycotted when he visits abroad to “collect money”. In a joint statement, Himmat Singh and Pripal Singh, leaders of the US-based Sikh Coordination Committee East Coast and the American Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, echoed similar sentiments, describing Dhumma’s support for the BJP as a betrayal. On the other hand, several Taksal followers, both in India and abroad, have rallied behind their chief. The Taksal published advertisements in Punjabi newspapers warning against defamatory remarks directed at Dhumma and the Sikh seminary, including comments from certain Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders. SAD leader Parambans Singh Bunty Romana recently criticised Dhumma’s stance, saying, “Damdami Taksal Mukhi Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma extends support to BJP in Maharashtra!! Just look at the level to which BJP has penetrated Sikh institutions!! WHAT A FALL!!,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Source link
