Sikh Sangat intensifies demand for official status to Punjabi in J&K; indefinite Dharna\/Morcha enters Day 2<\/p>\n
Tony appeals to J&K CM, cabinet, MLAs to support Punjabi resolution in winter session of state assembly<\/p>\n
Jammu, Oct 2<\/p>\n
The indefinite dharna demanding the inclusion of Punjabi as an official language of Jammu & Kashmir entered its second day in Jammu, with members of the Sikh Sangat reiterating their demand through peaceful, constitutional and democratic means.<\/p>\n
Addressing the gathering, Taranjit Singh Tony, Chairman, Gurdwara Rani Talab, Digiana, appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his Cabinet to take up the matter in the Cabinet and facilitate a resolution on Punjabi language during the forthcoming Winter Session of the J&K Legislative Assembly, with support from all 90 MLAs.
\nTony also appealed to all MLAs to extend their support to the demand and provide letters supporting the recognition of Punjabi as an official language of J&K.
\nHe said the demand was being pursued through peaceful and constitutional channels and urged elected representatives to consider the linguistic, literary and cultural significance of Punjabi in Jammu & Kashmir.<\/p>\n
Ashish Anand Bhat, representing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), also addressed the gathering and extended support to the demand for recognition of Punjabi, emphasising the importance of preserving the language and its cultural heritage in J&K.<\/p>\n
Narinder Singh Khalsa, J&K President, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), addressed the gathering and assured full support to the ongoing struggle for official status to Punjabi, while backing the community\u2019s peaceful and democratic campaign.<\/p>\n
Among those associated with the ongoing campaign were former Minister Manjit Singh, President J&K Jat Sabha; former Corporator Dwarka Choudhary; Sardar Surjit Singh, Secretary, DGPC; S. Balwinder Singh, Punjabi scholar; S. Dalip Singh Ji, Sainik Colony; Advocate Deeplka Poshkar Nath; Gaurav Kapoor, Auto-Rickshaw Union; Gurjeet Singh, Dhaba Mishriwala; Pavneet Kour; RTI activist Balwinder Singh; Sarpanch Avtar Singh Shunty; Youth leader Narinder Sharma; Balwinder Singh Rinku; and Tahir Ali, among others.
\nSeveral members of the Sikh community and representatives of different Gurudwaras also participated, including Harbaksh Singh, President, Rani Talab Gurdwara; Vrinder Singh, Cashier, Rani Talab Gurdwara; Gurmeet Singh Tara, President, Sanjay Nagar; Gurmukh Singh, President, Nanak Nagar; Retd. Commissioner Bachan Singh; Mohinder Singh, Ex-President; Karanjeet Singh, President, Digiana Gurdwara; Balbir Singh; Nasib Singh; Sarpanch Yusuf from District Doda; and Jasbir Singh Jassa, among others.<\/p>\n
Tony said the participation of people from different generations demonstrated that the issue of Punjabi language continues to resonate across the community.
\nReferring to the Maharaja Hari Singh holiday controversy, Tony said that even people who had not voted in the recent agitation had extended their support, while those who had voted but were now not supporting the demand had, according to him, betrayed the cause of the agitation.<\/p>\n
The Sikh Sangat also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, recalling their contributions on the occasion of their birth anniversaries.
\nTony reiterated that the community would continue to approach the concerned authorities and pursue the demand through peaceful, constitutional and democratic channels.<\/p>\n
The organisers appealed to members of the community to continue participating peacefully in the dharna and reiterated their call for greater recognition and promotion of Punjabi, along with preservation of its linguistic, literary and cultural heritage in Jammu & Kashmir.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sikh Sangat intensifies demand for official status to Punjabi in J&K; indefinite Dharna\/Morcha enters Day 2 Tony appeals to J&K CM, cabinet, MLAs to support Punjabi resolution in winter session of state assembly Jammu, Oct 2 The indefinite dharna demanding the inclusion of Punjabi as an official language of Jammu & Kashmir entered its second …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9642,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,33,1284,3200,91,56,3198],"tags":[4335,4161,4334],"class_list":["post-9641","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international","category-international-political-national","category-jammu-kashmir","category-national","category-politics","category-punjab","tag-jk-sikh-organisations","tag-jammu-congress-leader-taranjit-singh-tony","tag-punjabi-language-as-official-language-of-jk"],"yoast_head":"\n