Even as the Haryana Government once again deferred any final decision on setting up a separate Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in the State, the war of words is continuing in the neighbouring State of Punjab — a Sikh State.
A day after SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar alleged Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh of weakening and undermining the SGPC’s authority by seeking a separate Haryana body, Congress Deputy leader in the lok Sabha on Tuesday ridiculed his claims.
Taking a dig at him, he said, “Everybody in and outside Punjab, and you in particular, knows how strong and powerful the SGPC is and what it has been reduced to by your boss and the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.”
“I understood your compulsions to oppose Haryana body as you cannot afford to do otherwise… And that is precisely why we support an independent body for managing the Sikh gurdwaras in Haryana which will not be remote controlled by Badals and nor its president like you,” said Capt Amarinder, also Amritsar MP.
He reminded Makkar that it was people like Badal who got Haryana separated from Punjab and now, “Why should the Sikhs there not have the right and authority to run and manage their own gurudwarasIJ”
Suggesting the SGPC chief to understand popular sentiment and not take diktats from the Badals, he said “Your time is already up as Badal is surely going to replace you sooner than latter so it is time for you to set a healthy precedent and assert independence and authority of such a great and powerful institution like the SGPC.
“History, I assure you, will remember you for that one single act of courage and bravery and it will certainly forgive all your meek acts of unquestioning submission to Badals in the past,” said Capt Amarinder.
On the other hand, Akali MP from Sri Anandpur Sahib Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra strongly opposed the Haryana government’s move to constitute separate body for management of Gurudwaras in the state, saying that Congress party’s sinister move to bifurcate SGPC would not be tolerated at any cost.
“Sikhs have made countless sacrifices during British Raj which had led to formation of SGPC. Congress party, in pursuance of its policy to ‘divide and rule’, has always tried to weaken this supreme organization of the Sikhs. Congress must stop its policy of meddling in Sikh’s religious affairs else it would have to face serious consequences for it,” said Prof Chandumajra.
He said that the Sikhs would not allow Congress party to become successful in its attempt and would resist every such move of the Congress.
Slamming Congress for its anti-Sikh stance, Prof Chandumajra said that the Congress party has made a number of attempts to weaken the SGPC or to attain its control, but all such moves have been thwarted by the Sikh community.
Assailing Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for initiating this move, Prof Chandumajra said that Hooda was trying to divide Sikhs for his vested political interests.