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Akal Takht Jathedar’s outburst against Centre is multi-dimensional, talks of breakup of Parliament

 


Akal Takht Jathedar’s outburst against Centre is multi-dimensional, talks of breakup of Parliament

Ground Zero

 

Jagtar Singh

Officiating Jathedar of Akal Takht, the Sikh seat symbolising synergy of religion and politics and created by Guru Hargobind as sovereign state power in the Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib), Giani Harpreet Singh, made far reaching statement relating to repercussions at the national level of the decision to split the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to create Haryana Sikh gurdwara panel has the potential to impact radical stream in the Sikh religio-political matrix.

He said the decision to bifurcate the SGPC would boomerang on the Parliament. His ‘curse’ can be interpreted in any way. One only has to go into the dimension as to how the Parliament can break up.

He was addressing the annual gathering on March 8 at Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib, the almost week long festivities in which lakhs of Sikh devotees participate.

Moderately, it can be interpreted as warning to the government at the Centre.

Giani Harpreet Singh is alumni of Punjabi University, Patiala from where he has done post-graduation in religious studies. He was also enrolled for PhD. He knows what he is speaking.

It may be mentioned that the Haryana government passed law in 2014 providing for separate gurdwara panel. The SGPC attained statutory status with the adoption of Sikh Gurdwara Act in 1925 by the Punjab legislative council. Under this act, notified gurdwaras in Punjab  were brought under control of this body. Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were then part of Punjab.

The Supreme Court recently upheld the Haryana Act following which the Haryana panel took over management of gurdwaras in that state. It is the way of taking over the control that too has been objected to by the Jathedar, the SGPC and the Akali Dal.

The Haryana panel creation at one level can be attributed to backtracking by the Shiromani Akali Dal from the demand for All-India Gurdwara Act. The SGPC at its very first general house meeting after the election in 1926 had favoured creation of such a body and the Akali Dal too raised this demand till the signing of Punjab Accord between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and party president Harchand Singh Longowal on July 24, 1985. Three drafts were prepared for this legislation before this issue was dumped by the Akali Dal. The SGPC general house way back in 1970 had warned against such design when chief minister in Haryana was Bansi Lal.

The Jathedar should have gone into this aspect too.

Moreover, why should the Sikhs in Haryana be denied to manage their shrines autonomously?

Giani Harpreet Singh did not spare even the Akali Dal but at a different level by pointing out as to its take over by the money-bags from its being a party of farmers and working classes.

He stopped short at that and did not spell out the framework for the revival of the party that has been witnessing steep downfall since the 2017 Assembly polls.

A section of the senior leaders has been demanding change in leadership at the top but such leaders had to quit. The last senior leader to come out of the Shiromani Akali Dal is former SGPC chief and its first woman president Bibi Jagir Kaur.

Her single point agenda is now to mobilise, galvanise and revive the moderate Akali stream in the religio-political matrix.

The problem with the Akali Dal is that Punjab has been witnessing several agitations, some directly in the Sikh religio-political domain but this party remains isolated and alienated. The party leadership controlling the affairs lacks even the Panthic idiom, what to talk of reverting to the traditional support base.

The main hurdle in the revival of Akali Dal is Bargari sacrilege narrative. The role of Akal Takht and the SGPC too has been questionable in this narrative. The Jathedar should make the beginning by opting for introspection with follow up action. He should visit both Burj and Bargari villages as part of the rectification process and then proceed with steps for revival of Sikh institutions.

 

 

 

 


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