Terrorist's portrait in Temple precincts raises storm

MARTYR OR TERRORIST? The portrait in the Golden Temple's Sikh Museum has caused a furore.

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Amritsar: The Akali Dal government in Punjab is under a great deal of pressure from the Congress and even its own ally, the BJP, for installing a portrait of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the feared leader of the militant movement in Punjab, within the Golden temple.

Bhindranwale was the man at the head of the decade-long insurgency that crippled India's most prosperous state for a decade in the 80s and early 90s.

His portrait has now been made part of the Temple’s Sikh Museum, where he is described as a martyr and the greatest Sikh warrior of the 20th century.

Amritsar is where Bhindranwale was headquartered.

But politicians this move has made politicians extremely unhappy.

PPCC Chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said, “The move of putting Bhindrawala's portrait is ominous. On one hand, you are providing SGPC members with security, while on the other, you are installing an extremist's portrait.”

“This can be seen as a conspiracy to disrupt peace in Punjab,” Bhattal declared.

Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal refused to comment.

“Religious affairs and all the Temple decisions are taken by Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee. They take all the decisions. We (the Akali Dal) have nothing to do with it,” said Badal, clearly washing his hands off the whole thing," he said.

Interestingly, Avtar Makkar, the man who installed the portrait had been cleared to be SGPC chief by Chief Minister Badal, himself. The SGPC is also controlled by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal.

Caught in the cross-fire is the Badal's coalition partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has feebly asked the SGPC to reconsider displaying the portrait.

Said BJP leader Balbir Punj. "The temple is open to all communities, it has been a symbol of peace for centuries. Millions visited in search of solace and millions get inspired by the peaceful atmosphere over there. And the life and character of Bhindrawala the way we know it is totally inconsistent with the nature of that place,” Punj insisted.

With the spectre of Bhindrawala looming 23 years after Operation Blue Star in Punjab, the Congress is losing no time in targetting the Shiromani Akali Dal. Unfortunately for the BJP, they are caught in a political mêlée neither being able to support nor oppose the SGPC’s stand