A delegation of Sehajdhari Sikh Party (SSP) on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Haryana seeking legal rights by inclusion of Sehajdhari Sikhs in the new Haryana SGPC Bill expected to be passed on July 11 in the State Assembly.
The Sehajdhari Sikhs claim that when they are well-defined since 1944 onwards in the Parent Act (Sikh Gurudwara Act 1925) and now when on the basis of the Punjab Re-Organisational Act 1966, separate Haryana Gurudwara Bill is to be proposed and legislated, then its mandatory under the law that the Sehajdhari should be included in the proposed Act. Paramjit Singh Ranu of the SSP claimed that 80 per cent Sikh population in Haryana is that of ‘Sehajdhari Sikhs’ who have no other religion except Sikhism.
“Depriving the large chunk of these Sikhs will violate the article 26 of the Indian Constitution which provides them their constitutional right for being the part of the proposed bill of Haryana Sikh Gurudwara committee”, said Ranu. SSP also warned the State Government for backfire by Sikh population in the forthcoming elections if Government ignored the Sehajdhari and are not given due representation as per their population and place in the community.