HSGMC poll: Sikh leaders seek time from Haryana Governor
Nitish Sharma
Kurukshetra, June 24
Seeking election to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), Sikh community leaders have sought a meeting with Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya for his intervention.
The 18-month term of the HSGMC (ad hoc) concluded on May 31 but the government is yet to announce the election date. The community leaders have been requesting the government to dissolve the committee and appoint a receiver.
Former Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc) chief and president of the Haryana Shiromani Panthak Akali Dal, Jagdish Singh Jhinda, said, “The election process has not been conducted in accordance with the 2014 Act of the Haryana Gurdwara Management Committee. The ad hoc committee was established for a period of 18 months and its term has now expired. In that period of time, the Election Commission has failed to conduct the elections as mandated.
“We have requested the government to dissolve the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee repeatedly and appoint a receiver but there has been no response from the government so far. We have sought time from the Haryana Governor to seek his guidance and intervention in resolving this issue. The government should get the election conducted. Otherwise, we have decided to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this context. A meeting has been called at Kurukshetra on Tuesday to discuss the issue with the community members,” Jhinda added.
Harpal Singh Pali, SGPC member from Ambala, said, “The government-appointed committee members have failed to discharge their duties efficiently. We have repeatedly requested the government to get the election conducted but to no avail. The date of election should be announced without any further delay. Otherwise, we will be forced to open a front against the government and the government will be responsible for the consequences.
“We also demand that the government should stop interfering in gurdwara affairs. Otherwise, it will pay the price in the upcoming Assembly election,” Pali said.
Meanwhile, HSGMC (ad hoc) president Bhupinder Singh Assandh said, “Though the tenure has ended, the committee has been discharging its duties efficiently and the completion of the tenure has no impact on the functioning of the HSGMC. The decision regarding the election is to be taken by the government and we are ready for the election to the Haryana committee.”
