Panjab BJP Demands Liquor Ban Near Darbar Sahib, Criticizes AAP

Former Indian Administrative Service Officer and the Panjab BJP’s general secretary Jagmohan Singh Raju has demanded the ban on the sale of liquor and tobacco products within a one-mile radius of Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar. Raju noted that the AAP govt. has not responded to his representations, leading him to protest outside Darbar Sahib for one day on 30 Nov. On 27 Sep 2022, Raju had requested the National Commission for Minorities to direct the Panjab govt. to ban liquor and tobacco sales near historical Gurdwaras, including Darbar Sahib, and to declare Gurpurabs as dry days. Raju filed a contempt petition, and the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Panjab govt. to file a compliance report by 10 Dec. With this move, BJP reversed its stance taken in 1981. At that time, then Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra demanded Amritsar be declared a holy city. Before a march to support this demand in May 1981, BJP Member of Legislative Assembly Harbans Lal Khanna led a countermarch displaying tobacco products, which turned violent. Sikh militants assassinated Khanna on 2 Apr 1984. The BJP’s Amritsar office is named after Khanna. Meanwhile, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena criticized the AAP-led Delhi govt. for neglecting the Panjabi language in the national capital. On 3 Dec, Saxena expressed specific concerns about the shortage of staff in institutions responsible for promoting and preserving Panjabi, particularly highlighting issues within the Delhi Punjabi Academy. Despite Panjabi being granted official language status in Delhi by former President Abdul Kalam in 2003, Saxena noted that the Academy has underspent its budget, utilizing only USD 2.35M out of the allocated USD 3.22M for the fiscal year 2023-24—a 17% reduction in budget usage.