The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in a fix over the issue of a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in Haryana. Its alliance partner in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), is dead against the move while Haryana leaders are pressurising it to accord its approval for a separate unit.
For the BJP, the pressures from both sides have resulted in a Catch-22 situation. It cannot, apparently, ignore the demand being heard loud and clear from Haryana with elections just about four months away. At the same time, the party is hardly in a mood to offend its coalition partners, SAD, in Punjab particularly at a time when the relation between the two in the State is going through a rough patch.
In fact, the SAD and BJP have decided to put their heads together, after holding brainstorming sessions within their own parties during the recent past, for analysing the reasons of their defeat on seven out of 13 seats in Punjab. Moreover, a joint six-member committee has also been formed to strengthen the coalition base in the state.
Both the Haryana and Punjab leaders have during the past few days held meetings with the BJP top brass on the issue. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has, rather, been under a crossfire of demands and denials. Just about week back, Punjab Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal met Rajnath Singh along with Akali MPs to request him not to carve out separate SGPC for Haryana.
Similar demands were also made by SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar, who met Rajnath Singh a day before in Delhi. Besides, the chief of Sikh’s highest temporal seat Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh has also raised his voice against the separate SGPC for Haryana.
Only on Thursday, Haryana SGPC (ad hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda met Rajnath Singh asking the Centre to form a separate body for Haryana, which is along pending demand of the Haryana’s Sikhs. Jhinda requested the Union Home Minister to ask Punjab Chief Minister to agree to the Haryana’s Sikhs’ demand, and which would allow more security to the State’s interests.
To press upon the State Government to pass the HSGPC Bill in the Assembly, Jhinda has already joined hands with the Didar Singh Nalwi group. On the other hand, Capt Amarinder Singh justifying his support for the constitution of separate SGPC for Haryana, on Thursday said that Badal should introspect as why he was opposing the autonomy to Haryana Sikhs to manage their own religious affairs.
“Those opposing Haryana SGPC should read history and then decide whether they should oppose Haryana SGPC or support it,” said Capt Amarinder. The issue has attained the proportions of a controversy during the past few months after Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda assured the state’s Sikh population of having a separate SGPC for state.
He had raised a dust of controversy after announcing that the Congress would hold a sammelan in Kaithal, where a majority of Sikhs in Haryana are concentrated, on July 6 to garner support to fulfil the Sikhs’ long pending demand for a separate SGPC. Raising the issue of separate SGPC for Haryana was nothing new. The issue was raised by political parties, especially Congress, every time the elections are round the corner.
Haryana Congress has been promising the state to set up a separate SGPC in its manifestos since past two elections - 2004 and 2009. The similar kind of situation aroused, a few months before the assembly polls, in 2009 when the demand for separate Haryana SGPC was getting louder by the day. The situation, at many times, had also gone unbalanced, and violent.
Going into the background, the “ad hoc” Haryana SGPC had given an ultimatum to the then State Government led by Hooda, and the SGPC on September 7, 2008, to constitute separate HSGPC within a month, failing which it would take forcible possession of major gurdwaras in Haryana. Besides, Hooda in 2009, also made a declaration that demand for separate SGPC would become a reality on November 1, but nothing was done in this directions since then.
Making the matter worse, similar demands are also finding voices from other States too. Joining the league with Haryana, Rajasthan SGPC (ad hoc) has also put its weight behind for Haryana’s demand, besides announcing that it would participate in July 6 Sikh convention at Kaithal.
Rajasthan SGPC (ad-hoc) president Hardeep Singh Dibdiba maintained that the State has around 28 historical gurdwaras which it wanted to manage like SGPC, which was established under a special Act of Parliament in 1925.
He maintained that the Akali-led SGPC should not oppose the creation of separate gurdwara bodies as there is already Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
Why the demandIJ
There are around 72 historical gurdwaras in Haryana which are presently managed by the SGPC. Sikhs in Haryana are pressing to create a separate body, HSGPC, under which the management of these shrines will come.
Section 72 of Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, entails the State Government to create a university, an agricultural varsity and separate gurdwara management body. As the first two had already been created in Haryana, the demand for HSGPC is being raised.
Why Badals are reluctantIJ
Even as the Akalis including the Badals are citing Congress’ “nefarious design” to divide Sikhs by setting up separate Gurdwara body for Haryana as a reason, it is believed that the loss of power control on Haryana’s Sikh shrines and the relative revenues from the same would harm the Akalis-led SGPC, headquartered in Amritsar.
“They are apprehending that their hold over around 70 gurdwaras would be lost, which also includes some huge profit making gurdwaras,” a senior Congress leader said, who don’t wish to be named.