Achievements
Accomplishments
Work done as Member Parliament Rajya Sabha
- He moved a calling attention motion on the relief to the victims of 1984 riots in the Rajya Sabha.
- He is the first Sikh MP who has moved a bill in the Parliament to amend Section 25 of India constitution where the Sikhs have been described as part of Hindus. The amendment is to seek independent status for the Sikhs as a separate religion. This bill came twice on the agenda for discussion but due to disturbance it could not be debated. This is still pending for discussion.
- He moved an amendment in the Anand Marriage Act which was passed in 1908. There is no provision in this act of registration of Sikh Marriages. Now Sikhs are getting registration certificates under Hindu Marriage Act. The Parliamentary Committee on law & justice has already approved the proposal. Law Minister has made assurance in the Rajya Sabha of getting this bill passed at earliest. This will be a major step towards officially recognizing the Sikhism as a separate religion.
- Demanded the withdrawal of Gallantry awards from the Army Officers who participated in the Blue Star Operation.
- In the constitutional review commission he appeared as a Sikh representative & on his plea the commission had recommended the necessary amendment in Section 25 of Indian Constitution.
- He got an Air India flight approved to Toronto from Amritsar.
- He got an Air India flight approved to Vancouver from Amritsar.
- He made efforts to get approval to upgrade Chandigarh Domestic Airport to International airport from Parliament.
- He got sanction for Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue in Parliament complex & Rs.25 Lakhs payment was made by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then Prime Minister.
- It was his efforts that Rajya Sabha took a decision of installing the Statue of Shahid Bhagat Singh in the Parliament.
- He is the first Member Parliament who spoke in Punjabi in the Parliament. It took him about two years to get the facility of immediate translation of Punjabi in other languages, so that the other MPs can understand the speech.
- He demanded in the Parliament that the Nankana Sahib Sikh pilgrims should be given the same facilities as the Haj pilgrims get.
- He moved a calling attention notice in Rajya Sabha on the progress of relief to the victims of 1984 riots.
- As Chairman National Commission for Minorities
- He got maximum facilities for refugees from Afghanistan. He got them permissions to travel to India from USA & UK & also got special papers issued for working in India.
- He got a bill passed in Haryana Assembly for granting second language status to Punjabi in 2004 by Shri Om Prakash Chautala. On his request a meeting was held in Home Ministry in 2004 which was presided by Shri L.K.Advani & Punjabi & Urdu were granted second language status in Delhi.
- He got visas to hundreds of Sikhs who were in the black list in Canada, USA & UK. He has been advocating for abolishing the black list.
- After Kargil war in 1999 all movements between India & Pakistan were stopped. He got sanction of the Sikh Jattha to go for pilgrimage from the Prime Minister.
- He got sanction for the Sikhs living in Pakistan to come to India for pilgrimage as a group. This was not allowed for fifty years.
- It was his efforts that Government of India honored Air Chief Marshal Arjun Singh with the title of Field Marshal. Sam Manekshaw was the only other Field Marshal in the history of India.
- He intervened as Chairman National Commission for Minorities when there was a move to form Defense services supreme counsel in 2004. By this move General Joginder Jaswant Singh, popularly known as J.J. Singh would have retired as Lt. General. He succeeded in getting consent of Prime Minister to scuttle the move. General J.J. Singh was promoted as Army Chief subsequently.
Please refer to the National Commission of Minorities website for work done for Sikh cause by S. Talochan Singh as Vice Chairman.
