Congress deputy leader in the lok Sabha and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday disapproved of the removal of the Akal Takht Jathedar by the Sarbat Khalsa.
Reacting to the appointment of Akal Takhat Jathedar and other head priests at the Sikh congregation at Amritsar, Amarinder said, “This way we will only kill the institutions that have been set up after a lot of struggle and sacrifice”.
“The SGPC was created after a five-year struggle from 1920 to 1925, if those who run it are wrongly chosen one doesn’t weaken an institution that has run the affairs of our Gurdwaras, instead we should strengthen them,” he said.
The former CM said, while it is the prerogative of the SGPC to make such appointments, at the same time, he has always maintained that the present SGPC was under the arbitrary and authoritarian control of Badal.
“We need fresh SGPC elections under credible authority”, he observed, adding, afterwards the new SGPC can make the appointments of the Jathedars and head priests, with independent thinking, who will watch over the interest of the panth and not of any individual like Badal. The way the Jathedars have been appointed today will only further undermine the authority of the institution”, he said.
“Tomorrow someone else like Badal or any other person may organise a similar congregation and get his people nominated to the sacred institutions, which will set a dangerous trend”, he added.
Amarinder also said, SGPC was set up in 1925 after five years of struggle in which 400 Sikhs laid down their lives, over 2,000 were injured and over 30,000 courted arrest.
Sharing the concern of the Sikh masses over the subversion of authority and the misuse of these institutions by Badal, Amarinder said, these institutions functioned well and strictly under the Sikh maryada before he (Badal) grabbed these and started misusing them to promote his personal interests.
“We all know as to who is the real culprit and let us get rid of him from both the SGPC and the State which can be done through proper and independent elections”, he observed, adding, “as a humble Sikh I share the concern and apprehensions of the community and stand by it”.
“But I also maintain that the sanctity and authority of the SGPC, our historical institution must be maintained and free and fair elections held to it without delay. This institution not only runs our Gurdwaras but also appoints our Jathedars to our Takhats. let the newly elected body of the SGPC appoint appropriate people to these sacred Takhats”, he said.