Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday condemned Punjab Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu for striking at the core of Sikhism by terming Virasat-e-Khalsa “which is a repository of Sikh history, religion and culture” as a white elephant.
At the same time, the party asked the Minister to stop “cheap publicity stunts” like re-inauguration of the Partition Museum in Amritsar.
“Sidhu has insulted Sikhism and Sikhs worldwide by referring to the pride of the Sikh nation — the Virasat-e-Khalsa as a white elephant,” said the former Minister and SAD spokesman Daljeet Singh Cheema while asking Sidhu to apologise to the community immediately maintaining that such “slurs would not be tolerated at any cost”.
Stating that Sidhu needed to be educated on Sikhism as well as the monument which he wanted to turn into a commercial entity, Cheema said that the monument was conceived by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to commemorate 500 years of Sikh history as well as 300 years of the birth of the Khalsa.
“One of the world’s leading architects, Moshe Safdie, was roped in for the project which has now emerged as one of the leading heritage museums of the world...The museum has also become a museum of the people with free entry allowing thousands of people to visit it every day,” he said.
Cheema said Sidhu must understand the great service the museum is doing by showcasing the State’s rich history and culture which cannot be measured in terms of money.
“Any attempt to turn the Virasat-e-Khalsa into a commercial entity will be a disservice to Punjab and its people,” he said.
Asking Sidhu not to treat governance like a comedy circus, Cheema said: “Yesterday you came out with a statement saying that Partition Museum at Amritsar will be inaugurated on August 17...it was inaugurated on October 24 last year by then Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.”