Why a SGPC in Haryana is a big political blow to the Akali Dal

Chandigarh: The creation of a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) in Haryana has thrown the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Punjab into an existential crisis. What should have been a matter involving the faithful has turned into an intensely political one with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal demanding that the Centre intervene to get the decision of the Hooda government revoked. However, he seems to be losing what he has turned into a prestige battle. A separate Haryana SGPC means loss of both vote and support in the Sikh community for the Akali Dal. It stands to lose the 15 lakh-strong Sikh community in Haryana. This comes at a time when the party is preparing to contest the forthcoming Haryana Vidhan Sabha poll and also help Om Prakash Chautala’s party, the Indian national Lok Dal (INLD). Since SGPC is controlled by the SAD, an even bigger loss for it is the more than Rs 200 crore in hard cash and kind from the `chadavas’ (offerings) to the 70 Gurdwaras of Haryana annually. [caption id=“attachment_1628051” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Parkash Singh Badal in a file photo. AP[/caption] SAD’s political agenda in Haryana has never been a secret. Eager to remove the regional party tag, it has been trying hard for years to expand its base in nearby areas, especially Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. It has an MLA in the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha. Since Badals are a family friend of the former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, the lone SAD MLA supports Chautala’s 30-member strong regional party. Recently SAD also got elected one of its party members — Charanjit Singh — as Rajya Sabha member from Haryana with the support of the INLD. Upset with the SGPC development, Badal and his party went all out to stop the separation of the Sikh religious body in Haryana. The SGPC issue has led to uproar in the Punjab assembly everyday in the ongoing Monsoon session. The SAD-BJP government resorted to every trick in the book to stop the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in Haryana from forming the separate SGPC in Haryana. But the Haryana government managed to pass the Haryana SGPC Act and even get the Governor Jagannath Pahadia’s assent before Punjab could do anything. A fuming Badal threatened to quit as chief minister if the SGPC was separated in Haryana. He warned he would die at the altar of the Akal Takht but not allow the religious body to separate. The SGPC threatened the Haryana SGPC movement leaders not to go ahead with their planned move or be prepared to face the consequences. When nothing worked, the Akal Takht ex-communicated two leaders of the movement from Haryana — Jagdish Singh Jhinda, the ad-hoc president of the Haryana SGPC, and Didar Singh Nalvi — along with the Sikh minister from Haryana Harmohinder Singh Chatha. Akal Takht summoned these leaders to repent and seek forgiveness, but they openly defied the religious seat arguing that they were not governed by the Punjab SGPC now. Badal created pressure on Haryana through the Centre by asking the government to withdraw assent to the SGPC Bill. The SAD-BJP government passed a resolution against the Haryana State SGPC (HSGPC) in the Punjab assembly. Now the SAD has threatened to launch an all out ‘Dharam Yuddha’ (religious war) or mass agitation, but nothing seems to be working in Badal’s favour. Who can forget the consequences of the last `Dharam Yuddha launched in 1982 against the alleged oppressive treatment to Punjab and Sikhs by the Centre which led to great tension? The SAD has fixed 27 July as the day for the mega convention of the Sikhs called ‘Vishal Panthic Ikatth’. Sikhs from all over the world are being invited the Darbar Sahib of the Golden Temple to discuss the strategy to deal with the present crisis in the Panth. Badal tried to put pressure on the government through the NDA government at the centre of which SAD is a main constituent. Taking leave from the ongoing Budget session of the Punjab assembly he rushed to Delhi to meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh to force Haryana government to change its mind on the separate SGPC. Later the Union Home Secretary issued a letter to the Haryana Chief Secretary to take back its decision on the formation of the state SGPC. This, despite the fact that after the Haryana Governor gave his assent to the act in this regard passed by the state assembly, it had already become law. No wonder Haryana Chief Secretary SC Chaudhary rejected the Union Home Secretary letter, saying if any one has objection he can go the court. Same views were expressed by the Congress Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Capt amarinder Singh. Randeep Singh Surjewala, Parliamentary Affairs Minister of Haryana said, “the letter by the Home Secretary questioning the competence of Haryana legislature to enact the law is an affront to federal structure of India.” Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Gandhi family had attacked the Sikhs twice in the past. “Now by indulging in an illegal act of the formation of separate SGPC for Haryana, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has challenged us again. We will give a fitting reply on the matter.” Meanwhile, tension has been building up in various gurdwaras of the state as the separated SGPC members from Haryana want to take over possession of the shrines, but the SGPC has posted armed task force and supporters to resist any such move. The district administrations in various cities have deployed police force to maintain peace and order. Recently Sikhs from Haryana assembled at Gurdwara Chattipatshahi, Kurukshetra. Some of the members present openly displayed traditional weapons such as swords, spears and kirpans in front of the gurdwara. The district administration and the police is apprehending trouble if the Sikhs of Haryana try to take over forcible control of the gurdwaras. Didar Singh Nalvi, one of the top separate SGPC movement leader in Haryana, says SGPC always ill-treated the Haryana body. “Out of the nearly Rs 200 crore offerings to the gurdwaras of Haryana, hardly Rs 30 crore is spend on the maintenance of the state gurdwaras, while Punjab has been pocketing the rest of the money all these years. Haryana is our own state. The gurdwaras and all their properties belong to us. We are capable of managing our own affairs. Why should SGPC Punjab have control over us and our gurdwaras?” he asks. However, SGPC president, Avtar Singh Makkar is not convinced. “It is not a demand of the Sikh masses. The motive of the move is drawn from vested interest of people of Haryana. It is a political move to divide the Sikh community. It is necessary to have one supreme national body with members from all states to work unitedly for the community. What is happening now is not religious. It is political,” he says.