New Sikh Political Action Committee Will Raise Awareness, Encourage Participation

INDIANAPOLIS -- A group of Sikhs met Wednesday in downtown Indianapolis to discuss the formation of a new Political Action Committee. The PAC’s founder says there are over 10,000 members of the Indian religion living in Indiana.

Founder and chairman of SikhsPAC Gurinder Singh Khalsa says many Sikhs came to Indiana, from places like California, for its cheaper housing and better business climate. And while he says Indiana’s culture of family values has been welcoming, Gurinder says one goal of the SikhsPAC is to familiarize more Hoosiers with the religion.

“We are a peace loving people, and we came from India, and this is a nice country where the sky is the limit,” Gurinder says. “And the majority of people, anywhere you go in Indiana, the majority of people are great.”

The group is nonpartisan, but says it will support Sikh-minded candidates in the upcoming election. Gurinder says “Sikh-minded” means anyone who helps raise awareness for their culture.

And Gurinder says another motivation is to encourage political involvement from the group.

“I would like to see Sikh candidates in city councils, even in State Senate, or you never know, one day maybe governor or the president of this great nation on Earth,” he says.

So far SikhsPAC has raised $476,000 in pledges. Gurinder says they hope to raise $5 million in the next five years.