Leaders of the Sikh community, who have been demanding formation of the Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, on Thursday sought another day to respond to the message from the Jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh.
Quoting some “communication gap” members of the ad hoc HSGPC and the 10-member panel deputed by the Akal Takht, could not meet at a shrine in Kurukshetra, which was the designated venue. However, they met at a residence of a local Sikh leader in the city.
Talking to The Hindu over the phone, the general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, who was part of the team deputed by the Akal Takht, said that they heard the grievances as well as the arguments of the Sikhs leaders of Haryana. The panel conveyed the message of the Jathedar, who had called upon the Sikhs not to support the demand for a separate HSGPC.
Mr Bhaur said that the panel appealed to the Haryana Sikh leaders pay heed to the message from the Akal Takht Jathedar and not to fall prey to the divisive politics of the Congress, which was back with its previous tactics just to retain power in Haryana. He said that the panel tried to convince the Haryana leaders about the need to stay united.
Mr Bhaur said that after about three hours of discussions, the Haryana leaders sought one day for seeking a feedback from the Sikh community in the State, after which they would announce the further course of action. He said that the panel would submit its report to the Akal Takht chief as well as apprise the political leadership about the developments.
One of the members of the ad hoc HSGPC, Didar Singh Nalvi said that as a compromise formula the 10 member panel sent by the Akal Takht, had offered “autonomy” for the Haryana Sikhs to manage the affairs of their shrines within the ambit of a united SGPC. "However we drew their attention that the government in our State was prepared to grant us sovereignty. And the Sikhs of Haryana aspired for their own HSGPC to manage the affairs of their shrines as was mandated in the Punjab Re-organisation Act of 1966, to which the Shiromani Akali Dal was a signatory," he said. While Mr Nalvi accepted that the Haryana Sikh leaders had sought a day's time to reply to the proposals by the Akal Takht's panel, the proposed Haryana Sikh Mahasammelan would be convened at Kaithal as scheduled, where the Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda was expected to make an announcement.
