NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and the Sheila
Dikshit-led Delhi government are set for a face-off over management of
gurdwara affairs, seen as a route to control the Sikh vote bank in the
capital. The Dikshit government's plans to amend the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara
Act 1971 to allow direct election to the post of president is emerging
as a bone of contention between the two states.
Meanwhile, a furious Badal on Friday called up and shot off missives to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and Delhi Lt Governor Tejinder Khanna, seeking a "leash on Dikshit-led
Delhi government" and action against those who had attacked the SAD(B)
leaders and workers at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib on Thursday. He spoke to
the PM and Khanna after he failed to get any response from his Delhi
counterpart, his media advisors said in the evening
The Delhi
government is now preparing to approach the Supreme Court early next
week to seek approval for moving ahead with the amendment which was
approved by the state cabinet in October. The Supreme Court in September
directed the state to hold elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara
Management Committee (DSGMC, whose tenure ended in December 2011) before
December 31. If the amendment is brought, it will have to be tabled in
the Delhi assembly during the winter session for approval. Thus the
elections would need to be scheduled for sometime early next year.
In a letter to Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde,
Badal has blamed the Delhi government for interference in management of
gurdwaras. The city government is also accused of delaying elections to
DSGMC currently led by Akali Dal (Delhi), which enjoys the support of
the ruling Congress in Delhi. He has sought the Centre's intervention to
prevent the Delhi government from tabling before the assembly the Delhi
Sikh Gurdwara (Amendment) Bill which proposes to make way for direct
election of the DSGMC president. TOI has a copy of the letter sent by
the home ministry to the state government last week. The ministry has
sought a reply from the state of Delhi on Badal's concerns.
In
his letter, Badal points out to Shinde that this amendment Bill violates
the letter and spirit of the agreement reached between former Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
and Master Tara Singh, known as the Nehru-Tara Singh Pact, "which
specifically stated the commitment of the government of India not to
take any steps with regard to the affairs of the Sikh community without
consultation with and consent of the representatives of the Sikh
community through the apex
body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) at Amritsar...
Also, there is no provision for a direct election of a president in any
of the elected constitutional bodies in the country right from the
office of the president of India, prime minister and municipalities,"
the letter states.
"It appears to be a calculated conspiracy of
the government to delay the overdue gurdwara elections in the guise of
this amendment," the letter adds, and alleges that the amendment is
aimed at giving undue benefits to the ruling office-bearers of the
"committee" to cling to their offices and to enjoy their extended term.
Delhi's minister in charge of gurdwara management, Arvinder Singh Lovely,
vehemently rejected the concerns raised by Badal, saying the government
was right in bringing amendments as gurdwara management is a state
subject and DSGMC is governed by the state Act and not the parliament
Act, which governs SGPC.
"This is not the first time that an
amendment is being proposed to the Gurdwara Act. Even BJP government in
1993-98 proposed amendments. The proposal for direct election will only
bring in transparency in election process and end the mudslinging
between various factions that keep alleging the big role of money power
in election. We have no intention to delay the elections," the minister
said. That the mudslinging is set to get worse came through in Lovely's
remarks when, taking a dig at Badal, he told TOI, "He (Badal) must
instead focus on more pressing issues like drug abuse among youth in
Punjab."
with thanks : TIMES OF INDIA : LINK
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