Radical preacher Daduwal elected HSGMC president
‘WILL FIGHT FOR HARYANVI SIKHS’ Backed by former senior vice-president Didar Nalvi, Takht Damdama Sahib parallel jathedar defeats Jhinda group nominee by 2 votes
KARNAL:IN a major turn of events in gurdwara politics, radical Sikh preacher Baljit Singh Daduwal, the ‘parallel’ jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, was on Thursday elected president of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (ad hoc).
The election of the 46-year-old Sikh hardliner from the Damdami Taksal seminary, which was once headed by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, assumes significance as he has gained following in the Malwa region of Punjab and parts of Haryana over the years. Soon after his election at Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin and Nauvin at Cheeka in Haryana’s Kaithal district, Daduwal offered to resign from the position of the Damdama Sahib jathedar “to continue the fight of Haryanvi Sikhs for the formation of an independent Sikh body to govern the management of gurdwaras” in the state.
“I will follow the directions of the Panth. If they will ask me to step down to appoint anybody else, I will not oppose their decision. In case they want me to carry on as jathedar as well, I will do that,” he said. Daduwal, who first came into limelight with his hard-hitting speeches against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh (who is now in jail in Haryana) around 14 years ago, was among those who were appointed as ‘parallel’ jathedars the ‘Sarbat Khalsa (congregation) held by Sikh radicals in Amritsar in November 2015, where the “removal” of those appointed by the SGPC was also announced. He was also among the first to start a campaign after the incidents of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and firing on Sikh protesters in Faridkot district in 2015.
In Thursday’s election, Daduwal was backed by former HSGMC senior vice-president
Didar Singh Nalvi. He defeated Jagbir Singh Khalsa fielded by former president Jagdish Singh Jhinda’s group by a narrow margin of two votes. According to election officer Darshan Singh Barari, all 36 HSGMC members exercised their franchise.
WAS A 3-CORNERED CONTEST INITIALLY
Initially, there were three candidates in the fray but it became a straight fight between the groups led by Jhinda and Nalvi after Swaran Singh of Ratia backed the Nalvi group.
“Daduwalji has been elected with 19 out of 36 polled votes,” Nalvi said.
On the new president’s controversial background, Nalvi said he has announced that he will resign from Damdama Sahib and work for the Sikhs of Haryana. He is a Haryanvi Sikh and belongs to Daduwal village in Sirsa district.”
Daduwal along with other radical leaders, including Dhian Singh Mand and Amrik Singh Ajnala, led a week-long protest against the BJP government in Haryana over the cremation of former militant Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, who died after jumping off a high-rise water tank.
In 2014, the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government had constituted a 41-member ad hoc HSGMC team to manage, supervise and take over the assets of cash-rich Sikh shrines in Haryana, giving a boost to the demand of a separate gurdwara body in the state.
The committee, constituted under the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, 2014, was passed by the state assembly. While Jhinda was appointed president of the body, Nalvi was given the senior vice-president’s post. But later, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) approached the Supreme Court and challenged the formation of a separate gurdwara body in Haryana.
Reacting to Daduwal’s election, Joga Singh, a former general secretary and supporter of the Jhinda group, said Khalsa was defeated as some people changed their mind at the last moment and voted for Daduwal. “But we will sit in the opposition and will strongly and jointly back our case for the formation of a separate Sikh body for Haryana as the case is pending in the Supreme Court,” he added.
(With inputs from Vishal Joshi, Bathinda)