Seeing the Congress-led Haryana Government going ahead with the process of setting up separate panel to manage Sikh shrines in the State, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday threatened to step down from the top post.
After adopting a tough stance and passing a resolution against the Haryana Government in its core committee meeting on the issue, Badal on Wednesday rushed to the national capital to meet the Central Government’s top boss.
Badal met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Union Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and apprised them about the expected ‘backlash’ of the Haryana Government’s decision to create a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for Haryana.
Accompanied by senior Akali leaders including Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, Naresh Gujral and lok Sabha MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, Badal reportedly offered to resign as Punjab Chief Minister if the SGPC is divided and a separate panel is created for Haryana.
Sources told The Pioneer that Badal has indicated that chief ministership meant totally ‘meaningless’ for him if he could not successfully save the interests of the Sikh community at this critical juncture, and save it from separating.It has been learnt that during his meetings with the Union Ministers Badal emphasised that it was the Congress Government’s deep conspiracy to divide the Sikh community and create confusion.
He reportedly said that the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Haryana Government’s move is totally against the foundations of secularism and also commitments made by the founding fathers of freedom movement to the erstwhile Sikh leadership while recognising the supreme sacrifices made by the Sikh community for attaining independence for the country.
Sources said that the Union Ministers have assured Badal and other SAD leaders to plead their case with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is likely to return shortly from the BRICS summit.Badal and other Akali leaders also met senior Supreme Court lawyer Harish Salve to discuss the various legal implications involved in this sensitive issue.
It has been learnt that Badal, during the core committee meeting, has become emotional and even pledged to sacrifice at Sri Akal Takht Sahib if the issue of dividing SGPC is not resolved.Badal, after talking with reporters, accused the Congress leadership of hatching a conspiracy to create a separate SGPC for Haryana and urged the Centre to stop the move "initiated" by Hooda government.
Appealing to the Centre to urgently do the needful to stall the initiative, Badal said that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had never allowed the Hooda government to create the separate SGPC for Haryana.“The home minister has assured that the Centre will try to do its best to stop the move and has directed the Attorney General to examine the legal issues involved in it,” said Badal.