Ropar, June 16
The SGPC has dropped the idea of curtailing the voting rights of the Sehajdharis in the forthcoming SGPC elections.
Earlier, at a meeting of the SGPC Executive held in Anandpur Sahib on March 22, it was decided that the Sehajdharis who had the voting right according to the SGPC Act, 1925, would not be allowed to vote, after an amendment to Sections 10, 10 (A) and 11 of the Act.
It was also decided that only those Sehajdharis who are eligible to vote under the DSGMC Act 1971, would be allowed to vote in the SGPC elections.
The voting rights of even these Sehajdharis was subject to the condition that they do not take any narcotic or drug.
However, it seems that after weighing the electoral prospects in the forthcoming elections, the SGPC and the SAD have decided against curtailing the voting rights of the Sehajdharis.
An indication to this effect was given by the SGPC President, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, while talking to newsmen at Chamkaur Sahib today.
When confronted on the issue, Mr Talwandi said that now there was no proposal to amend the SGPC Act, 1925, and there was no move to curtail the voting rights of the Sehajdharis in the forthcoming SGPC elections.
Mr Talwandi was at Chamkaur Sahib to lay the foundation stone of the Langar Hall in the historic Katalgarh Sahib gurdwara.
About the schedule of SGPC elections, Mr Talwandi said that it had passed the resolution and sent it to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Badal.
It was now for the Election Commission to decide the dates of the elections.
Regarding his differences with the Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, over the punishment pronounced on Jeewan Singh and Chattar Singh for religious misconduct, Mr Talwandi said he had no differences with the Jathedar.
The accused persons had desecrated Guru Granth Sahib, which is a Guru for the Sikhs, by publishing it at a wrong place.
For this grave disrespect to the holy book, they should have been ousted from the Sikh Panth, he said.
About his differences with Bibi Jagir Kaur, he said he had nothing personal against her
However, she had kept 700 employees without following any laid procedure. Most of the decisions she took during her tenure were her ‘personal decisions’ rather than those of the entire SGPC executive. So, the SGPC had now decided to disown some of them, he said.
Mr Talwandi also told that a flying squad of the SGPC has been sent to the Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib to probe into the charges of corruption.
The team would soon submit its report to the SGPC executive and action would be taken against the employees found guilty. When asked if he was trying to bring together the various Akali dals, he said that he wanted them to come together.
He, however, declined to comment about the controversy surrounding Jathedar Kewal Singh.
