Govt interference in religious affairs of Sikhs can lead to serious conflicts: Badal

Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal calls on Union Minister for Housing and urban poverty alleviation Mr. Ajay Maken in his office at New Delhi

Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal calls on Union Minister for Housing and urban poverty alleviation Mr. Ajay Maken in his office at New Delhi.

by Punjabnewswire
NEW DELHI, OCT 29
Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal today met the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and sought his personal intervention to advise the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for taking appropriate measures to stop the Delhi State Government from going ahead with the proposed move of “Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2012” regarding direct election of President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).
  The Chief Minister along with Deputy CM called on Dr Manmohan Singh here at his official residence this evening to apprise him about this ill conceived and politically motivated move of the Delhi Government,
which could pose serious ramifications with a potent apprehension of pushing the country into avoidable conflicts. The Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that he was constrained to point out that despite
express assurances from successive Governments of India and eminent national figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, cases of brazen interference in the religious affairs of the Sikh community still continue. This was despite the fact that the country in general and Punjabis in particular had to pass tragic circumstances because of such ill-advised moves on the part of the Government of India and the other state governments. He mentioned that it was not merely a coincidence that recourse to such needless, eminently
avoidable and disastrous moves has been initiated under Congress regimes.
Mr Badal categorically said, “The interference of the Government in the religious affairs of the Sikhs could lead to serious conflicts in the country”.
The Chief Minister referred to the latest instance of such a dangerous resort to politically opportunistic but socially and nationally destructive move which came in the wake of the Delhi Government’s decision to amend Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971 enacted by the Parliament to facilitate direct election of President DSGMC. He impressed upon the Prime Minister to ask the Delhi Government for its immediate withdrawal to ensure peaceful and congenial atmosphere in the country as well as in Punjab besides tormenting the Sikh psyche.
Showing deep concern over the inordinate delay in the General elections of DSGMC which was due since January, 2011, the Chief Minister informed Dr Manmohan Singh that it appeared to be a calculated conspiracy of the government to delay these overdue Gurdwara Elections in the guise of this amendment bill adding that it clearly aimed at subverting the spirit of the order of the Supreme Court which had vide its order issued on September 17, 2012 directed the concerned authorities “to ensure that general elections to the
post of members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee are completed by December 31, 2012 positively”.
However, immediately after the pronouncement of the aforesaid Supreme Court’s Orders, the Government of Delhi swung into action and introduced the said  “Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2012”regarding direct election of President of the DSGMC, which was passed by the Delhi Cabinet on   October 8, 2012, hurriedly without assessing its pros and cons.
Mr Badal asserted that the purported move of the Delhi Government thereby giving undue benefits to the ruling office-bearers of the ‘Committee’ to cling to their offices and to enjoy their extended term was a calculated defiance of the court orders. He said, “It is against the law of natural justice and defeats the very purpose of the original Act”.
Describing the amendment bill as totally absurd, the Chief Minister pleaded that it violates the letter and spirit of the agreement reached between Late Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Master Tara Singh, known as Nehru-Tara Singh Pact, which specifically stated the commitment of the Government of India (GoI) not to take any steps with regard to the affairs of the Sikh community without consultation with and consent of the representatives of the Sikh community through SGPC. This attempt on part of government would lead to fresh suspicion, resentment and alienation in the minds of the Sikh community, already recovering from the painful and discriminatory blows. In addition, it would also lead to unprecedented corruption and horse trading in Gurdwara affairs at the behest of the stooges of the Delhi state government.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that there was no such provision either in the apex body of Sikhs i.e. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Amritsar and/or any religious or other body in
India. Similarly, even there was no provision for a direct election of a President in any of the elected constitutional bodies in the country, right from the office of the President of India, the Prime Minister down to the Panchayats.
Raising another vital issue related to SGPC elections, the Chief Minister apprised Dr Manmohan Singh that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had disenfranchised Sehajdari Sikhs from voting in SGPC elections by a notification, which was challenged by Sehajdhari Sikhs  in Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Court ordered that debarment of Sehajdhari Sikhs from voting could not be done by Ministry of Home Affairs by issuing a notification and the Court held this could only be done by adopting legal ways thereby amending the Act.  Consequently SGPC filed an appeal in the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Home Affairs also became a party. Mr Badal sought the Prime Minister’s intervention to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs for taking necessary action either by amending the act in the Parliament or by issuing an ordinance right now to disenfranchise Sehajdari Sikhs from voting in SGPC elections.
The Chief Minister also urged upon Dr Manmohan Singh to head a Group of Ministers (GoM) for pushing the much needed Diversification of Agriculture in the state as a “Second Green Revolution” to save the
beleaguered peasantry on one hand and to prevent the depleting ground water and eroding soil texture from further degradation on the other.
The Union Agriculture Ministry had already cautioned the state to make a paradigm shift from traditional wheat/paddy cycle to the high yielding crops like oilseeds, Maize, sugarcane and others in this hour
of crisis.
Earlier the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister called on the Union Home Minister Mr Sushil Kumar Shinde in his office at North block this morning and sought his all out support and co-operation in resolving the contentious issue of “Delhi Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill, 2012” and disenfranchising Sehajdari Sikhs from voting in SGPC besides asking the Delhi state government to conduct elections to the
executives and office bearers of DSGMC at the earliest as per the directions of the Supreme Court in accordance with the existing act.