Akali Dal urges Centre, Punjab govt not to interfere in Sikh religious affairs
On Monday, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) urged both the central and Punjab governments to stop “the unholy and greedy acts and tendencies to interfere in Sikh religious affairs and to usurp the control of Sikh institutions and shrines, including the sacred Takhts of the Khalsa Panth at Huzoor Sahib and Patna Sahib.” The call was made during a special meeting of the party’s core committee in Chandigarh, where a resolution was adopted that condemned recent developments in Sikh religious governance.
The resolution highlighted that “Acts like snatching control of Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) from Sikh Sangat through intrigues and forcibly splitting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) by setting up a separate body in Haryana are not the right way to pay homage to the great Guru Sahib who made the ultimate sacrifice against religious interference and repression,” the Akali Dal said.
It also reminded that “Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib made the supreme and unparalleled sacrifice to stop governmental interference in and repression against the religious beliefs, practices and affairs of other religions. It’s a great irony that the governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, Bihar and Haryana have been carrying out the same sin of religious interference and repression against which the great Guru sacrificed his life.”
Further, the resolution stated that “It is unbelievable that governments today are following the same Aurangzeb’s mindset in Guru Sahib’s own country and against people who follow the great Guru Sahib’s faith.”
After the meeting, Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal emphasized that the country’s tribute to Guru Sahib would only be genuine if the governments in Delhi, as well as in Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana and other states, ended their interference in Sikh religious affairs and ceased attacks on Sikh institutions and sacred Gurdhams. He additionally criticized the Center’s recent decision to strip Punjab of its special status over Chandigarh and to bring Punjab University under central control, claiming these moves were injustices against the state.
Reaffirming Chandigarh’s historic status, Badal declared that the SAD would not tolerate any attempt to seize it and demanded the Union Territory be returned to Punjab.
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