B L Sharma Embraces Sikhism
The Times of India - By A Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: B L Sharma `Prem' on Monday afternoon became Prem Singh. It was no ordinary ceremony of Khalsa baptism as the man happens to be a senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader and a former member of parliament. `Prem' along with his wife Krishna Sharma and five other local leaders from the VHP and the Bajrang Dal, were administered the amrit (holy nectar) at a traditional Sikh ceremony held at Gobind Sadan on the outskirts of the Capital.
The ceremony was held in the presence of religious leader Baba Virsa Singh. It was a complete transformation for the VHP leader who sported a short beard, kirpan, kada and was clad a yellow silk robe. ``It is not a conversion. If seen in a broader perspective, Khalsa is part of the Hindu religion and philosophy. I have taken a vow to follow the teachings and principles of the Khalsa Panth,''said `Prem'.
The VHP leader shot into the political limelight in 1991, defeating Congress heavyweight from east Delhi, HKL Bhagat in the parliamentary elections. However, he resigned as MP in 1996 and quit as the chairman of the Trans-Yamuna Board. `Prem' since then had been in self-imposed exile. The hour-long ceremony on Monday was performed by the Sadan's head priest, Bhai Kirpal Singh. ``Prem Singh taking amrit is not a matter of changing religion. By doing so, he may be reviving the ancient tradition by which the oldest son in a Hindu family was made a Sikh. He is a learned person who after much study has requested of his own free will to be baptised with amrit. There is no pressure on him to do so,''said Baba Virsa Singh.
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