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Badungar may offer to quit today
Naveen S. Garewal
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 15
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President, Mr Kirpal Singh Badungar, may offer to resign to pave way for the re-election of veteran Akali leader Mr Gurcharn Singh Tohra or his nominee as President of the SGPC, the apex body that controls most Sikh gurdwaras.

According to reliable sources, Mr Badungar is expected to make his ‘offer’ public at a meeting in Amritsar on Wednesday after the conclusion of the ongoing Akhand Path being held there on behalf of Mr Parkash Singh Badal. The Akhand Path that started on Monday, will conclude tomorrow. It was organised on the directions of Akal Takht for any acts of omission Mr Badal may have committed.

After Mr Badungar offers to step down tomorrow, the resignation has to be forwarded to the executive committee of the SGPC. In case it is accepted, a caretaker President may be appointed for the period till the general house of the SGPC is summoned. The general house, likely to be summoned in the first week of August, can elect Mr Tohra or his nominee as the next President of the SGPC.

Later at Jalandhar, Mr Badungar ruled out stepping down as SGPC chief in favour of Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, an associate of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra.

He also termed the report regarding allotment of Golden Temple land to the SGPC staff as “rubbish”.