Chandigarh, February 28
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab Senior Leader and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwa said that Punjab School Education Board is teaching wrong history about Guru Sahibs and Sikhs in the textbooks of Class 12th and for that Parkash Singh Badal led SAD-BJP government and the ruling Congress are responsible. Sandhwan said that the Sikh community is protesting against the book, so Punjab School Education Board should immediately ban these controversial books.
Kultar Singh Sandhwan participated in a protest rally organized by Sikh organizations in Mohali on Monday and met Sikh leader Baldev Singh Sirsa. Later, Sandhwan called on Punjab School Education Board Chairman Dr. Yograj and appealed an immediate ban on books which hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. He said that if the Board did not ban books by March 5, then the Aam Aadmi Party would stage a large protest.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters on Monday, party spokesperson and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan said that a big-scale and calculated conspiracy has been hatched to distort the facts about Sikh history, Sikh Gurus, Gurubani and the history of Punjab and its martyrs. He said that this misinformation and distorted facts are being served to the new generation, but Congress, Captain and SAD-BJP governments do not care because they are only thinking of making money through ‘Book Mafia’ in collaboration with the private publishing houses. That is why a book with so many mistakes is being sold for Rs. 400 to the 12th standard students.
Kultar Singh Sandhwan demanded immediate withdrawal of these books from syllabus and ban on books of Prof. Manjit Singh, Dr. A.C. Arora and Dr. MS Mann, all published by private publications. Sandhwan sought clarification from Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, PPCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu, Education Minister Pargat Singh, Former Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, Former Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla, Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Former Deputy Chief Minister and President of Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Singh Badal including other Congressmen and Akali Dal (Badal) politicians as to whether Guru Hargobind Ji had served in the army of Mughal ruler Jahangir after releasing 52 kings from Gwalior Fort. This is stated by A.C. Arora on page 81 of his book ‘History of Punjab’. Do the ruling government and scholars agree with this statement? If not, why are such books still part of the school syllabus and why are they (previous governments) silent on the controversial remarks?
Sandhwan quoted that Dr. Mann’s book states that Guru Hargobind was forced to pick up the sword by the Jatts of Punjab. Aren’t such comments a direct attack on Miri-Piri’s resolve? The Congress and the Akali (Badal) should also clarify this. Similarly, It says that Guru Gobind Singh formed Khalsa Panth to include Jatts in his army, which is not only wrong but also intolerable.
Sandhwan said that Gurbani quoted in these books is full of spelling mistakes, which changes its meaning and is disrespect of Gurbani. Will Badal, the so-called ‘Thekedar of the Panth’, explain this to the Sangat? Sandhwan wondered why the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee have been silent on the issue, when so many written complaints are being lodged in this regard.
He said that these books also contain disinformation about freedom fighters and martyrs of Punjab. Shandhwan said that young minds can be easily influenced and that is why such controversial books being part of school education are part of bigger conspiracy to distort our history. He said that it is an academic fraud and such books should be banned immediately.
