Chandigarh: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has rejected the notification issued by the Haryana government to elect a member of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( HSGMC).
SGPC president Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami made the remarks before leaving for Pakistan today. He is in Pakistan to attend the main centenary celebrations of Shaheedi Saka Panja Sahib at Gurdwara Panja Sahib.
Talking to the media before leaving for Pakistan, SGPC president said that they rejected the notification issued by the Haryana government. He said that the Haryana government has made its intention clear about the management of gurdwaras through this notification. The notification also proved true the SGPC’s apprehension that the Haryana government is interfering in the Sikh religion and wanted to take over the management of the Gurdwaras.
It has been clarified in the notification that the members of the Haryana Committee will not be elected by the Sangat, but will be nominated by the government and their patron will also be nominated by the government.
This ad-hoc committee will be for 18 months, if the election is not held on time, then the committee will be nominated by the government again for the next 18 months.
The ad-hoc committee will have 41 members. Thus, the management of gurdwaras for three years will be in the hands of the government.
Taking strong exception to the process of nominating the patron of the committee, he said that in Sikhism, Sikhs are patronised by Guru Granth Sahib or Akal Takht. He appealed to the Sikh leaders of Haryana Baljit Singh Daduwal, Jagdish Singh Jhinda, Didar Singh Nalvi and others to understand the intention of the government. If they do not understand even now, then they will have to repent later.
He has again offered the Sikhs of Haryana to come to the Akal Takht and sit together and discuss the issue and resolve it. He also revealed that 14 of the 40 visas cancelled of the SGPC were issued by the Pakistani Embassy in Delhi late at night. The SGPC employees had been making rounds of the Pakistani embassy for the last two days to get the cancelled visas restored.
One jatha of the SGPC left for Panja Sahib yesterday and the second jatha left today. He was accompanied by SGPC members, officials and others who have gone to Pakistan.