Eyeing the sizeable Sikh votes in the Haryana Assembly polls due in October this year, the Congress Government in the State has speeded up its efforts to form a separate body for Haryana Sikhs-Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC).
Sources in the Government said Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda may announce the formation of a new body in the Sikh Convention to be held at Kaithal on July 6, in presence of Haryana Finance Minister and chairman of committee for HSGPC, HS Chattha and Randeep Surjewala, national spokesperson of the Congress. “Hooda Government may later pass it in the State Assembly”, said NS Bhinder, legal expert and member secretary of the Chattha committee.
Keeping in view the efforts of ruling Congress on a separate body, two more SGPC members in Haryana announced their support. Harpal Singh and Amrik Singh, SGPC members in Haryana on Monday announced full support to the Congress in the State if it constitutes a separate Sikh body for the Haryana.
State congress had included the issue of a separate body for Sikhs in its election manifesto in 2005, besides getting report from HS Chattha committee in favour of a separate body. It was also discussed in the State Assembly but it never became a reality. But, now after an electoral drubbing in the lok Sabha polls, Congress has all of a sudden felt the necessity to revive the issue.
“It seems to be a political gimmick. If the State Government is serious, it should announce it as soon as possible and get a legislation passed in the Assembly before elections”, said Jagdish Singh Jhinda, President of adhoc committee for HSGPC.
There are an estimated 20 lakh Sikh voters in Haryana, who have good presence in 37 of the 90 Assembly constituencies. Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Ambala and Panipat have a sizeable presence of Sikh voters.
There is no legal hitch in a separate body
Chandigarh: There is no legal hitch in the formation of Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC), NS Bhinder, legal expert and secretary member of HS Chattha committee, constituted by Haryana Government for separate body of Haryana Sikhs, claimed. Talking to The Pioneer, Bhinder said it only needs an announcement and passage of legislation in the Assembly.
Bhinder said Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has 13,500 acre land in the name of various Gurdwaras, educational institutes and other religious institutions at different places including Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Out of this, 6,558 acre land is with Haryana Gurdwaras.
There are 50 Gurdwaras in Haryana, including eight historical Gurdwaras, which have an annual income around Rs 180 to 200 crore. “SGPC wants the entire control of land and money of Gurdwaras”, alleged Bhinder. Sri Hazur Sahib, Sri Patna Sahib, DSGMC and J&K Gurdwaras are not under control of SGPC.
SGPC had tried to control over all the Gurdwaras in the country during NDA regime earlier. In 1999, it had prepared a draft for the constitution of ‘All India Gurdwaras Act’, in which SGPC was declared as apex body and Sri Hazur Sahib in Maharashtra, Sri Patna Sahib in Bihar, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in Delhi and J&K Gurdwara Parbandhak Board were declared as independent boards except Haryana Gurdwaras, which were showed under the direct control of SGPC. This draft Bill could not get parliamentary approval then.