Amritsar, March 29
The SGPC passed its Rs 387-crore budget even as opposition members, including those from Haryana, staged a boycott at the Teja Singh Samundari Hall here today.
The moment general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur asked for its approval after completing his speech, opposition members Manjit Singh Calcutta and Karnail Singh Panjoli stood up for seeking permission to give their comments. However, on the denial of the same on the pretext that they had already leaked the budget before it was presented, the General House witnessed acrimonious scenes.
This followed exchange of hot words between Calcutta and SGPC chief Avtar Singh. When Avtar Singh asked Calcutta to leave the venue, the latter challenged the authority of the former. Members from Haryana, including Didar Singh Nalvi and Jagdish Singh Jhinda, who have been demanding separate gurdwara committee for Sikh shrines in their state, also joined hands to boycott the proceedings. The opposition members alleged that the SGPC denied them the democratic right to comment on the budget speech, which was not fair.
Interestingly, Jathedar, Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti, and Giani Gurbachan Singh, head granthi, Golden Temple, were seen taking a nap when the SGPC chief was addressing the members. The Press photographers who were taking the pictures of the boycott and napping of the Sikh high priests were roughed up by SGPC officials. A heavy posse of SGPC task force had also been deployed as a preventive measure.
Panjoli alleged that the House was being
misled because it was a deficit budget. The opposition members said the fixed deposits of the SGPC had been encashed prematurely, causing financial loss. They threatened to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the arbitrary approach of the SGPC to pass the budget without taking other members into confidence. However, the SGPC chief said the two executive members of the opposition were given ample opportunity to give their suggestions. The situation became worse when an SGPC member asked Calcutta to resign from SGPC membership.
Giving details of the future plans, the SGPC chief said CCTVs and ultra-modern sound system was being set up in the Darbar Sahib complex. He said they had earmarked Rs 1.80 crore for the Institute of Advance Studies. The General House also passed resolution for demanding clemency for Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, who had been given death sentence. Another resolution urged the Prime Minister to review the “black list”.
