‘WILL JOIN SGPC EVENT IF SAD, CONG LEADERS NOT ALLOWED ON STAGE’

BATHINDA: Acting parallel jathedar of Akal Takht Dhian Singh Mand on Saturday said he will join the SGPC event to celebrate 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak provided Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Congress leaders are not allowed to share the stage . Addressing a press conference, Mand said he supports SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal’s call for join celebrations. He said if SGPC doesn’t allow SAD and Congress leaders to share the stage, he and other 2015 Sarbat Khalsa organisers will join the event. He gave SGPC a week’s time to clear the stand, else they will finalise a programme to celebrate the event on their own.

violation of the Akal Takht’s order,” he said.

“I discussed the issue with the CM during the cabinet meeting on Thursday. But before we conveyed our view to the gurdwara body, they went to invite the President,” he said. Taking an exception to a tweet by Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal and Union minister Harsimrat Badal about the acceptance of the invitation by

NO COMMUNICATION FROM GOVT: LONGOWAL

SGPC chief Longowal said they have not received any communication from the state government so far after the September 17 meeting. On objections to their inviting the President he said, “First, the government’s nominees did not attend two meetings of the coordination committee. In the September 17 meeting, the government nominees said they will inform us in a day or two after discussing the issue with the CM. But they chose not to respond.”