(MENAFN- IANS) Anandpur Sahib (Punjab), Nov 25 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday appealed to the Sikh community to unite under the banner of his party to take back the management of Sikh institutions and shrines, which have been taken over by the Centre and various state governments.

Addressing a Gurmat Samagam held at Gurdwara Sri Sis Ganj Sahib here on the occasion of the 350th martyrdom day (Shaheedi Diwas) of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Badal said: "Till the time you don't unite under a single banner, you cannot protect your religious institutions."

He said the management of Sri Huzoor Sahib and Patna Sahib was taken away from the community because the party had been weakened. He said in the same manner, central intrigue coupled with the overreach of the Haryana government, had led to the creation of a separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the state.

Badal also castigated Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for resorting to propaganda by claiming to give the holy city tag to cities. He said both Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo had been given the status of holy cities around 15 years back by then Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The SAD President also lambasted the Chief Minister for disrespecting Sri Akal Takhat Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. He said anybody who did not honour the Jathedar of the apex religious seat of the Sikh Panth was an enemy of the entire community.

"You should not tolerate such insults under any circumstances," he added.

Badal also appealed to the community to recognise the forces which were trying to weaken it.

"Wake up and see who are your own and who are the ones who are weakening the community from within by touting themselves to be one of our own," he said.

He also dwelt on how, despite the example set by Guru Tegh Bahadur, who sacrificed his life to save Hinduism, political parties in the country were making people from one religion fight the other for political gains. Urging everyone to learn from the sacrifice of the Guru, Badal said: "We should follow the principle of 'sarbat da bhala' instead of following divisiveness."

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