FATEHGARH SAHIB, Punjab—Finally bringing the Chief Secretary row to an end, on August 1 the SGPC president Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar accepted that there was no room for the post of Chief Secretary in the SGPC constitution. He claimed that the post of Chief Secretary was first time invented by the former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra for Manjit Singh Calcutta but the SGPC today doesn’t feel need of any such post.
Notably, the SGPC had relieved Chief Secretary Harcharan Singh on July 28 in a sudden move. Harcharn Singh’s appointment on the post had remained controversial since the first day as he was appointed on an extremely high monthly salary.
Interacting with media at Sri Fatehgarh Sahib, Prof. Badungar also commented on the protest lodged by ‘Pathi’ Singhs in sanctum sanctorum Sri Harmandir Sahib. He said that the demands of ‘Pathi’ Singhs were already under consideration of SGPC’s executive committee which will be further deliberated in its next meeting on August 8.
He further informed that the ‘Dharam Prachaar Lehar’ commenced by the SGPC in commemoration of Sant Baba Nidhan Singh will be launched in Majha on August 4 by performing ‘Ardas’ at Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall (Amritsar Sahib).
Secretary Dr. Roop Singh Re-Joins Duty in Absence of Chief Secretary Harcharan Singh
SGPC secretary Dr. Roop Singh, who was on leave for three months from July onwards, suddenly rejoined his duty on August 1 cancelling his leave schedule. Sudden rejoining of Dr. Roop Singh is being seen in relation to relieving of SGPC Chief Secretary Harcharan Singh.
Sources have informed that the Chief Secretary Harcharan Singh had centralized almost entire working of SGPC around him due to which the other Secretaries were opposing him as they were left with a very light workload.
Rumors of tension among the Chief Secretary and other secretaries had come to fore few months back. Amid such circumstances, Sikh intellectual and SGPC secretary Dr. Roop Singh had got his leave sanctioned for three months from July to September but he returned back to his duty on August 1.
