M A I N   N E W S

Sant Samaj calls meeting
Resentment over calendar panel
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Jan 17 — The Gurbani Gurmat Sidhant Sant Samaj is up in arms against the deleting of the name of its acting president Baba Mangal Singh from the panel on the controversial Nanakshahi calendar. Baba Mangal Singh had a closed door meeting with Giani Puran Singh, Jathedar, Akal Takht, here today on the issue.

Baba Mangal Singh said Giani Puran Singh told him that his name (Baba Mangal Singh) was deleted while recasting the sub-committee at the behest of Bibi Jagir Kaur, SGPC President, yesterday. Baba Mangal Singh said an emergency meeting of the Sant Samaj would be convened shortly to discuss the calendar issue.

It is pertinent to mention here that the name of Baba Mangal Singh was included by Giani Puran Singh in the seven-member committee on the calendar issue last week when Mr Dalip Singh Bhupal had resigned from the panel on certain grounds. However, Giani Puran Singh did not consult other members of the committee before adding the name of Baba Mangal Singh which led to resentment among them. However, an emergency meeting of the five Sikh high priests, the SGPC executive and the Dharm Parchar Committee held at the Akal Takht secretariat yesterday made it clear that Baba Mangal Singh was not a member of the sub-committee. However, Dr Khark Singh, a Sikh intellectual, was made the convener of the sub-committee and he was authorised to include four other subject experts. The committee would submit its report by March 15.

On the other hand, Sikh scholars are of the view that though Giani Puran Singh had established the supremacy of Akal Takht by forcing Bibi Jagir Kaur and the executive committee of the SGPC and the Dharm Parchar Committee to shift the venue of meeting from Guru Nanak Nivas to the Akal Takht secretariat, yet he (Giani Puran Singh) would stand isolated on the controversial Nanakshahi calendar. With the recasting of the sub-committee on the calendar, it would be now extremely difficult for Giani Puran Singh to prevail his will while implementing the calendar. The meeting held at the Akal Takht secretariat had made Dr Khark Singh as convener who was authorised to add four members to the panel. With this, only two or three members would be supporting Giani Puran Singh on this ticklish issue. The panel would hand over its report to the high priests.

Out of the total five Sikh high priests only Giani Puran Singh is a staunch supporter of the traditional Bikrami samvat while others are in favour of implementing the Nanakshahi calendar. Moreover, the meeting held yesterday had already deleted the name of Baba Mangal Singh, a supporter of Giani Puran Singh. The Sikh high priests would submit the report of the 11-member sub-committee to the SGPC where Bibi Jagir Kaur enjoys the majority.