New Delhi, March 25
The Delhi gurdwara politics is getting murkier by the day. At the heart of the controversy is the proposed amendment in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, which advocates extending the term of the executive board of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to two years.

On one side is the group headed by current incumbent of the DSGMC Paramjit Singh Sarna and on the other side is former DSGMC president Avtar Singh Hit. While the opposing group is trying its best to seek elections to the resources-rich DSGMC, the ruling group wants to hang on, quoting a similar move by the SGPC of seeking extension of its executive board to two and a half years.

Incidentally, both sides are claiming the support of adequate number in the 51-member House.

Today, a delegation comprising Hit and other some members of the committee also met home minister Shivraj Patil, asking him to put an end to “stop-gap and ad-hoc” amendments to Gurdwara Act.

Brother of DSGMC president Harvinder Singh Sarna said the DSGMC had written to the Delhi government seeking extension of executive board’s term after the SGPC made a similar move, quoting some very valid reasons, in 2007.

“The tenure of the SGPC is for five years and that of the DSGMC is four years. The SGPC said its executive board elections should be held every two and a half years. Taking a cue from the SGPC we also wrote to the Delhi government that the elections to the DSGMC executive board should be held every two years,” he added.

Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) secretary Rajinder Singh, who accompanied Hit, told The Tribune that the delegation requested Patil “to put an end to stop-gap and ad-hoc amendments to Gurdwara Act and instead order the establishment of a committee of Sikh intellectuals to comprehensively study proposals of amendments to the act and make recommendations to the government accordingly”.

“The present term of the executive committee expired on February 8, this year, but so far no elections have been held. Sections of the Delhi Municipal Act are applicable to the elections of the committee as well. While elections to the post of the Mayor and other members are held on March 31 without fail, the elections to the DSGMC executive board are never held on time,” he claimed.

Terming the amendment a “direct interference in affairs of Sikhs”, Hit said the matter for extending the term had not been approved by the general body of the committee and hence was not acceptable.

“We have requested the home minister to go comprehensively into the proposals of amendments to the act and make recommendations accordingly,” he said.