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HSGPC row: Haryana, Punjab at loggerheads Chandigarh, July 7 Haryana Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha said the “legal opinion” taken by the committee stated that Haryana had the right to form a separate HSGPC for its Sikhs and its power was vested in the Haryana Assembly. “The opinion said that the government could bring a Bill in the Assembly. All that is required is the Governor’s approval, after which the government can issue a notification and the process of delimitation of constituencies and drawing up of voters’ lists can begin. We treaded cautiously and took into account all aspects,” Chattha said. Asked why the Punjab Government was insisting that the move needed the nod of Parliament, Chattha said there was absolutely no need for that under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. “Punjab is our big brother. Their leaders can say anything,” he said, adding that none of the SAD supporters in Haryana filed an affidavit against the move.The committee received more than 2.5 lakh affidavits of which nearly 1 lakh were invalid. However, not even a single affidavit was filed against the formation of a separate SGPC. “Had the SAD supporters or sympathisers of even their SGPC members in Haryana filed affidavits against the move, we would have definitely considered their point of view,” Chattha said. The other considerations that went into finalising the need for the HSGPC included the lack of development in Haryana by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). “The members elected from Haryana in the SGPC had absolutely no say when it came to spending on development. They were not even kept in the loop about the offering that came and no school, college or university was opened by the SGPC in Haryana. So much so, the SGPC did not give grants to any private schools named after the Sikh Gurus. The SGPC stopped sending kirtan jathas to Haryana gurdwaras long ago, forcing them to make their own arrangements,” he said. According to his committee’s report, there were 52 gurdwaras with assets worth ~1,000 crore which contributed offerings to the tune of ~180-200 crore 10 years ago when the committee gathered the information. “The offerings have gone up manifold since then and there is no account anywhere,” Chattha said. Meanwhile, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar today “launched” district-level protests across Haryana to oppose the formation of the HSGPC. Makkar said the Sikh community would give a befitting reply to CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his team. Divergent stands *
Chattha says the Haryana Government, after tabling a Bill in the Assembly, only needs the Governor’s approval, but the SAD says it will require the President’s nod *
Chattha rubbishes any need for the Central intervention in the matter under the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, while the SAD insists that the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, with regard to the formation of the SGPC, is a provincial Act passed by Parliament
SAD calls
decision patently wrong Chandigarh, July 7 Harcharan Singh Bains, adviser to Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal on national affairs, warned the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government against creating a constitutional crisis. “The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) represents the Sikh community and not the geographical boundaries. The clever ploy to divide the community as Haryana Sikhs, Punjab Sikhs, Delhi Sikhs and so on is not acceptable,” Bains said. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership, which has briefed the top brass of the BJP about the formation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC), hopes that the Centre will prevent the Bill from becoming a law. The Haryana Government has already announced to enact a law in the ensuing session of the state Assembly to form the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC). The SAD leadership is of the view that the proposed Bill, after it is passed by the Haryana Assembly, would go to the Centre for the President’s nod. The SAD insists that the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, with regard to the formation of the SGPC was a provincial Act passed by Parliament. “Only Parliament has the power to make amendments and procedural corrections in the Act and nobody else,” Bains said. About legal issues, he said 11 members of the SGPC were elected from Haryana. “If a separate committee is formed in Haryana, what will happen to the 11 seats of that state? Who has the right to subtract those seats from the existing house of the SGPC? Haryana or Parliament. What will be the fresh composition of the SGPC and who will decide the number of members in that house?” Bains said. Maheshinder Singh Grewal, adviser to Badal, said the Centre had been appointing the Gurdwara Commission to conduct SGPC elections in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. “Even the election schedule was determined with the approval of the Centre. The Centre had ordered reservation for women in the SGPC and issued order with regard to the Sehajdhari Sikhs. The Centre had issued a notification regarding the creation of the 5th Takht Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo in early 1960s. How can Haryana claim that it can enact a law when all decisions regarding the SGPC till now have been taken by the Centre,” he asked. He said above the Constitution was a Nehru-Tara Singh pact that stated there would be no interference in the religious affairs of Sikhs until any demand was made by the SGPC and that, too, with a two-third majority in the house of the SGPC. Bains and Grewal said the formation of the HSGPC was part of the Congress’ bigger “game plan to weaken institutional and religious solidarity of Sikhs”. Bains said: “The SGPC was created to function as a single unified platform for the articulation of the Sikh aspirations so that any threat to the religious identity and interests of Sikhs could be met with united force of the entire community.”
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