CHANDIGARH – The Hooda government said it will not enter state gurdwaras to take back possession from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) task force. SGPC men have been laying siege to gurdwaras in Haryana to prevent a new Sikh body from taking control.
Haryana Finance Minister Harmohinder Singh Chattha, also the chairman of the government committee that recommended a separate body for the Haryana Sikhs, said the Haryana Government had taken a conscious decision to stay out of the gurdwaras.
“The government and the police will not enter gurdwaras no matter how long it takes to take possession and hand these over to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC). No Sikh in Haryana wants to fight for possession,” he said while addressing mediapersons.
Critical of Punjab’s Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the SGPC “building up” its presence in Haryana gurdwaras despite the passage of a Bill announcing a separate Sikh management body, Chattha said it was unfortunate that armed men were keeping vigil inside the precincts of the gurdwaras, which was against the “maryada”.
“There are at least 50 weapon-wielding Nihangs in every gurdwara where Punjab MPs, legislators and leaders are holding fort. The presence of armed men in state gurdwaras is merely Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s attempt to showcase to the Centre that there is a lot of tension following the passage of the Bill.
“But we all know that he thinks this is an opportune moment to step down as Chief Minister and hand over reins to his son, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal. That’s their game plan,” Chattha claimed.
HSGPC (ad hoc) teams led by Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalvi are taking out “peace marches” across the state to press for eviction of SGPC men from gurdwaras.
Chattha claimed he had no idea about when the Haryana Government would announce the 41-member HSGMC to manage the affairs of the state gurdwaras. But independent enquires revealed the government was likely to announce the committee within this week.
“The government wants to announce the committee so that the management and working of the gurdwaras can be streamlined. While names of prominent Sikhs who will serve on the ad hoc committee have been shortlisted, the final list will be out before this weekend,” a source said.
Not in a confrontationist mood on handing over the possession of gurdwaras to Haryana Sikhs, the government was hoping the aggression being displayed by Punjab would soon peter out, said sources.
“They can’t stay put in Haryana forever. The government is in no rush,” a Congress leader said.
