M A I N   N E W S

HSGPC members skip meeting at Akal Takht
10-member panel to meet Haryana Sikh leaders today
Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service

We felt like accused We have great respect for Akal Takht, but the way we were called was not right. It would have been better had the message been given to us alone and not made public. We had been called as if we were some accused Jagdish Singh Jhinda, hsgpc (ad hoc) chief Amarinder slams Badal Congress MP Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday lashed out at CM Parkash Singh Badal for dragging Akal Takht into the row. He said SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar’s statement suggesting that Akal Takht could summon Congress leaders for supporting the Haryana SGPC reinforced the belief about Badals’ interference in the working of Takht

Chandigarh, July 2
Sikh leaders from Haryana today failed to turn up for a meeting convened by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to discuss the issue of a separate gurdwara management body for the state.

They instead sought a deferment by 10 days saying they were busy with preparations for a Sikh congregation, to be organised at Kaithal on July 6, besides other social and family obligations.

While the five invitees, including president and secretary of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (ad hoc) Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalvi, respectively, failed to arrive at Akal Takht at 11 am for parleys, they wrote to the Takht chief demanding deferment of the meeting since they were preoccupied with the Sikh convention. It has been called to debate the setting up of a separate gurdwara management body to take control of historical gurdwaras in Haryana.

The state gurdwaras are currently under the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

Nalvi acknowledged receiving the invitation for the meeting, but politely added that the “letter does not mention the issue to be discussed. Kindly grant me an audience any time after 10 days while also apprising me of the issues to be discussed so that I come prepared and do not waste your precious time”.

Interacting with mediapersons, he said: “The Akal Takht Jathedar had called us for a meeting. It would have been better had he called Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal first and asked him why he divided Punjab and the SGPC.”Sikhs in Haryana have been demanding a separate Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC) that would allow them control over establishment and maintenance of historical gurdwaras in the state.

They will hold a congregation in Kaithal on July 6 where Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is likely to announce the formation of a separate management body for gurdwaras in the state.

Parkash Singh Badal today lashed out at his Haryana counterpart saying: “The Hooda government's nefarious designs to divide the Sikhs would never materialise.”

After receiving the letter, the Akal Takht Jathedar constituted a 10-member committee to meet the Haryana Sikh representatives for discussions at a Kurukshetra gurdwara on Thursday. The Jathedar took the decision in consultation with Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Mal Singh.

The committee comprises Baba Harnam Singh, head, Damdami Taksal; Baba Balbir Singh, head, Budha Dal; Sant Teja Singh, Khuda; Sant Ram Singh Seghra (Karnal); Sant Baba Joga Singh (Karnal); Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, general secretary, SGPC; Dalmegh Singh, secretary, SGPC; Karnail Singh Panjauli, Rajinder Singh Mehta and Dyal Singh Kolianwali, all members of SGPC’s executive committee. The Jathedar has directed the invitees — who spearheaded the move to constitute a separate Sikh body in Haryana — to ensure that they attend the proposed meeting in Kurukshetra. They included Jhinda, Nalvi, Gurmeet Singh, Apar Singh and Harmanjeet Singh.