CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged party workers to wholeheartedly register voters for the forthcoming elections to the Haryana State Gurdwara Managing Committee(HSGMC), asserting “the time has come to retake control of our religious shrines from the modern day Mahants and hand over the same to the sangat”.
The SAD president held a detailed meeting with SAD district presidents as well as prominent members of the SAD Haryana unit including its president Sharanjit Singh Sohta, Baldev Singh and Amarjit Kaur.
Mr Sukhbir Badal said the real face of the Sarkari committee had been exposed when members of the committee indulged in abusive behavior and even manhandled each other. “The people have also witnessed both the President and General Secretary of the Sarkari Committee resigning from their posts when counter allegations of misappropriation of gurdwara funds and immoral activities were leveled against them”.
He said all this has hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community of Haryana which was waiting for an opportunity to oust the Mahants and take over the management of the gurdwara in its own hands.
The SAD president also highlighted how the Congress as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party government had tried to take the Haryana gurdwara committee away from Sri Akal Takth. “This is intolerable to pious Sikhs who do not want governments to interfere in their religious affairs''.
Mr Sukhbir Badal urged the SAD district presidents to join the registration drive in Haryana in coordination with the Haryana SAD leadership. He said the effort should be to reach all Sikh households by helping them fill up voter registration forms besides making them aware of the insidious design to weaken the Khalsa Panth but putting up government proxies as leaders of the community.