Centre lying on Sikh reference library issue: SGPC chief
Slamming the central government for denying that it has any rare manuscripts or literature allegedly taken by the army from the Sikh reference library during the Operation Bluestar in 1984, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Kirpal Singh Badungar on Sunday said the Centre is lying on the issue and its latest response is contradicting its earlier statements.
At a press conference here, Badungar was reacting to the government’s reply received by Lok Sabha MP from Patiala Dr Dharamvira Gandhi to his letter on the issue.
The government has claimed that all manuscripts and other items were handed over to the state government and other agencies.
“The government earlier claimed that the army did not bring any literature. Now it is saying that it has handed over the same to other agencies. The contradictions in the statements are enough to expose the intentions of the Centre,” said the SGPC chief, while thanking Gandhi for his efforts in this direction.
Badungar said, “Those who were part of the conspiracy behind the missing Sikh literature from the library have confessed their offence. Still the government is denying.”
In this context, he cited a Punjabi proverb, “Marya te mukria ikko barabar hundai (One who
IN REPLY TO PATIALA MP’S LETTER, CENTRE CLAIMED IT HAS HANDED OVER ALL MANUSCRIPTS AND OTHER ITEMS TAKEN BY THE ARMY TO STATE GOVT AND OTHER AGENCIES
goes back on his word is as good as dead).”
ON GST
On the GST issue, he said, “As finance minister Arun Jaitley has deep association with Amritsar, he will decide to exempt langar from GST.”
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has decided to dissolve its directorate of education which looks after its educational institutes. Badungar said the directorate was working on a temporary basis and the SGPC wanted to make it a permanent body to make it more active. An 8-member committee has been constituted for the purpose.
He also said the SGPC has decided to celebrate 550th Gurpurab (birth anniversary) of Guru Nanak Dev in 2019 on a large scale at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has also decided to establish a memorial in the memory of Punjab-based freedom fighters who served imprisonment in ‘Kala Pani’ (cellular) jail at Andaman.