KURUKASHETRA, Haryana—The 10-member panel formed by Giani Gurbachan Singh, appointed Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, on Thursday held a closed-door meeting with the Haryana Sikh leaders including Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalwi. These two Haryana Sikh leaders, along with others, are demanding a separate Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the state. The meeting was held at the house of Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) leader Tejindar Pal Singh Dhillon here at 2.30 P.M. lasting for over three hours.
After the meeting, general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, said that they had delivered the message from Sri Akal Takht Sahib to them and would shortly submit a report to the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, who would make the final decision.
The meeting was previously scheduled at 11.00 A.M. in Gurdwara Patshahi Chheveen but got cancelled as Haryana Singh leader could not attend at the time. Jagdish Singh Jhinda said: “We paid our respect to Sri Akal Takht Sahib. We were not informed in time so we could not attend the meeting earlier in the day.”
Talking to the media Jhinda said: “A 10-member committee had came to Haryana with a message from Sri Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. They asked us why we were seeking a separate committee to manage Gurdwaras in Haryana. We have explained our point of view to them.”
“The committee offered autonomy to us, provided we do not demand for a separate committee. We will consider the proposal after the Kaithal congregation on July 6. The decision will be conveyed to Sri Akal Takht Sahib thereafter”, Jhinda said.
Earlier in the day, the committee members, after coming to know that the state leaders were not present, left after saying that they would submit the report regarding the absence of the second party. The committee members and Haryana leaders were critical of each other’s behavior. Bhaur said: “The SGPC is a religious organisation and they are trying to weaken it. Sri Akal Takht Sahib noticed it and called Sikh leaders who have been spearheading the move to constitute a separate Sikh body in Haryana, but they didn’t show up on time.”
As per sources, while the committee was waiting for the Sikh leaders, Haryana Sikh leaders Didar Singh Nalvi and Harmanjeet Singh were at the Dera Kar Sewa along with their supporters.
Nalvi said: “It is a false propaganda created by the SGPC and Akalis to gain publicity. If they are saying that they had informed us about the meeting, they are lying and that, too, on the Gurdwara premises. It would have been better if the message was sent to us alone and not made public. We got to know about the meeting through media. No official message was sent to us from Sri Akal Takht Sahib.”
