JALANDHAR, Punjab—Former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti has stated that before the implementation of the original Nanakshahi Calendar, an 11-members committee of Sikh scholars had been constituted by the then SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badunger following the resolution passed by executive panel and general house of the supreme Sikh body.
“With the consent of the committee, the original Nanakshahi Calendar was implemented in 2003 at Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. Afterward, SGPC and politicians left the Sikh nation in a dilemma over the calendar under pressure of ‘Derawad,'” he said, demanding that SGPC’s executive panel and general house be summoned at Sri Akal Takht Sahib by declaring them ‘tankhaya’ (deserving of religious punishment) and the original form of the Sikh calendar be implemented.
Jathedar Vedanti was speaking here in a press conference along with former Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdma Sahib Giani Kewal Singh, Sikh Society UK chairman Rajinder Singh Purewal, state president Parminder Pal Singh Khalsa and Akhand Kirtani Jatha International head Bhai Baldev Singh.
Talking about the issue of the Sikh Reference Library, the Sikh leaders said, “While the Indian government conspired to demolish Sri Akal Takht Sahib in 1984, it tried to ruin and loot the historical documents, rare books, hand written old Sikh scriptures and other historical imprints of Sikhs available in the Sikh Reference Library.”
They said, “Nobody knows where the Sikh literature is hidden by the government. If the government does not give the literature back to Sikhs, we will knock on the door of the United Nations.”
Pal Singh Purewal, architect of the original Nanakshahi Calendar, former police officer Iqbal Singh Purewal, Giani Jagtar Singh Jachak, Prithipal Singh Sandhu, Bhai Waryam Singh, Harjit Singh Sikh Missionary College etc. were also present on the occasion.
