CHANDIGARH: Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema has made a double U-turn within two days on the sensitive issue of allegedly missing saroops of Guru Granth Sahib, further intensifying the controversy and putting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on the defensive.
The row began after Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann claimed that 169 saroops, allegedly missing from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) headquarters, had been recovered from the Raja Sahib religious shrine at Banga in Punjab. The statement triggered strong reactions from Sikh bodies and religious organisations, which outrightly rejected the Chief Minister’s claim and accused him of making false and misleading assertions on an extremely sensitive religious issue.
The management of the Raja Sahib shrine clarified that all 169 saroops present there were fully documented and already in the knowledge of the SGPC. They asserted that there was no question of any “recovery” as suggested by the Chief Minister, and described the claim as factually incorrect and damaging to the sanctity of the shrine.
Amid the mounting criticism, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema visited the Raja Sahib shrine on Wednesday and appeared to contradict the Chief Minister’s position. After holding discussions with the shrine management, Cheema told them that there had been a “miscommunication” between the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Punjab government and the authorities at Raja Sahib. He reportedly stated that the saroops at the shrine were in proper order and that there was “nothing objectionable” about their presence there, giving the impression that the Chief Minister’s claim lacked factual basis.
However, within 24 hours, Cheema made a second U-turn. On Thursday, after what sources described as reprimand from the party high command in Delhi, the Finance Minister stepped back from his earlier remarks. Addressing the media, Cheema said that the SGPC had issued a “clearing certificate” to the Raja Sahib shrine, but maintained that the FIR registered in the matter and the SIT probe would continue.
He asserted that the investigation would proceed to examine all aspects related to the issue of missing saroops, signalling a return to the government’s original hard line despite his conciliatory stance a day earlier.
The rapid flip-flops by the Finance Minister have added to the confusion and drawn sharp criticism from Sikh organisations, which accuse the AAP government of politicising a highly sensitive religious matter. Opposition parties have also seized on the episode, alleging lack of coordination within the state government and questioning its credibility on issues related to Sikh religious institutions.
With contradictory statements coming from the Chief Minister and the Finance Minister within days, the controversy over the alleged missing saroops shows no sign of abating, even as trust deficit between the Punjab government and Sikh bodies appears to be widening.