SAD to contest Haryana gurdwara committee elections: Party president Sukhbir Singh Badal

CHANDIGARH: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday announced that his party will contest the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSGMC) elections.

”Our focus is on giving Sikhs in Haryana the right to have their own gurdwara committee, besides freeing them from the present committee which is indulging in free-for-all fights and abuses in official meetings,” Badal alleged in a party statement.

The @Akali_Dal_ core committee has decided to contest the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) elections. I appeal to the Sikh ‘sangat’ to free gurdwaras from the clutches of the modern day Mahants who have taken over the control with the connivance of the Congress,… pic.twitter.com/VebhehBNEM

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) August 26, 2023

The SAD leader also appealed to the Sikh community ”to free the gurdwaras from the clutches of the modern-day mahants, who have taken over control with the connivance of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)”.

He said his party would contest the elections on its symbol and urged Sikhs in Haryana to enrol as voters in large numbers so as to restore the pride of the ”Panth” in their state.

Karamjit Singh was last year elected the president of the ad-hoc panel of the HSGMC till the committee elections are held.

Speaking after the party’s core committee meeting here, Badal referred to the tussle between the Punjab Raj Bhavan and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on several issues, saying, ”This is happening for the first time in the state and is a result of immaturity and the lack of decency on the part of the chief minister.” In a sharp escalation of the tussle between the Punjab governor and the chief minister, Banwarilal Purohit on Friday warned that he could recommend President’s rule in the state and also launch criminal proceedings if his letters are not answered.

Stating the SAD’s position in the case, Badal said, ”We are against the imposition of President’s rule. Our party was behind the Anandpur Sahib resolution which stands for granting more powers to the states. However, the issue is not this alone. Issue is the governor’s query about action taken in the case of 66 liquor vends which were found to be selling drugs during a raid by the National Narcotics Bureau. These vends have since reopened.” ”The chief minister should give a detailed answer to the governor and Punjabis on this issue or else it would be surmised that the AAP government is hand in glove with drug traffickers,” he alleged.

On the issues discussed in the party meeting, Badal said, ”SAD is of the firm belief that the recent floods in Punjab were a man-made tragedy and that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is responsible for it.” The chief minister failed to take any flood control prevention meeting before the onset of the monsoons and also regulate the release of floodwaters from the Bhakra and Pong dams, he said.

Badal further demanded fair compensation for flood-hit farmers and labourers asserting that the Rs 186 crore aid released by the government was akin to sprinkling salt on the wounds of the farming community.

Source: Press Trust of India