Hand over control of shrines gracefully: Baljit Singh Daduwal to SGPC

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, September 20

Welcoming the Supreme Court judgment, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) today appealed to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to gracefully hand over to it the management of the shrines located in the state.

Honour SC decision

We will appeal to the SGPC to accept the decision of the Supreme Court and hand over the management of the shrines to the Haryana committee. — Baljit Singh Daduwal, HSGMC President

Senior leaders of the panel hailed former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and incumbent Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for supporting the demand of Haryana’s Sikhs.

HSGMC president Baljit Singh Daduwal said, “The Sikhs of Haryana and HSGMC members have struggled a lot to get the management of the shrines. We are thankful to the Centre and the state government for supporting the Haryana committee. Now, all historic gurdwaras, schools and colleges being managed by the SGPC in the state will be managed by the Haryana panel and we will work with dedication to meet expectations of the public. We will focus on the dharma prachar, education and medical facilities.”

“We will appeal to the SGPC to accept the decision of the Supreme Court and hand over the management of the shrines to the Haryana committee. Crores have been spent in the courts, while that money could have been used for development works,” he added.

The HSGMC president said the Haryana committee would soon start managing the shrines and hold a big event.

HSGMC former president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said, “We congratulate the Sikhs of Haryana as the Supreme Court has given them the right to manage their shrines in the state. It has been a long struggle and we are grateful to former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda who laid the foundation of the Act and also CM Manohar Lal Khattar for successfully defending it in the court. We will soon call a meeting of the committee and decide the future course of action. Both, the HSGMC and the SGPC should work jointly for the welfare of the Sikhs and the shrines.”

Former HSGMC senior vice-president Didar Singh Nalvi said, “The Supreme Court has given justice to the Sikhs of Haryana. The Badal family had been controlling the SGPC and the shrines. They were taking away the money of Haryana’s gurdwaras to Punjab. The SGPC should gracefully hand over the shrines to the Haryana committee but if the SGPC fails to do so, we are ready to fight another battle constitutionally. The employees who have been working in the gurdwaras will keep working, but new appointments will be done from Haryana only.”

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Sikhs met Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij at his residence in Ambala to express gratitude.

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