SAD slams govt over pro-hry gurdwara body affidavit in SC

TO HOLD RALLIES AT AMRITSAR, FEROZEPUR AND ANANDPUR SAHIB TO HIGHLIGHT ALLEGED ‘FAILURES’ OF THE AMARINDER SINGH GOVT

CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Monday hit out at the Punjab government for filing a fresh affidavit in the Supreme Court that it had no objection to a separate gurdwara body in Haryana. At its core committee meeting on Monday, the party moved a resolution against the affidavit, describing the move a conspiracy, aimed at “grabbing” the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

The SGPC manages Sikh shrines in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The SAD leaders also resolved to submit a memorandum to the Punjab governor VP Singh Badnore

to draw his attention to the fact that the fresh affidavit was not only a U-turn on the affidavit submitted by the state government earlier, but was also fraught with serious consequences as it amounted to a brazen interference in the religious affairs. The party said the affidavit was “legally and constitutionally weird”.

In 2014, the Haryana Gurdwara

Parbandhak Committee was notified for managing Sikh shrines in the state, prompting the then SAD-BJP government to oppose the move in the Supreme Court.

Party spokesperson Harcharan Singh Bains said the core committee also decided to ask the governor to intervene in the highly sensitive case pertaining to the mysterious death of Surjit Singh, a key witness in the Behbal Kalan case, especially the allegations from his wife against two Congress leaders — Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and Gurpreet Singh Kangar.

Surjit’s wife had accused revenue minister Kangar CM’S adviser Dhillon of putting pressure on her husband.