Amritsar, February 15:
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami said in a statement issued today that although the Maharashtra government has decided to hold its cabinet decision proposing 2024 amendment in the Nanded Gurdwara Act, 1956, but the government interference does not end with this.
In his X post, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami said it is now being said that a cabinet sub-committee will be formed to discuss the issue with all the concerned ‘persons’, to take an ‘appropriate’ decision. He questioned why the Government wants to make even such an interference and what is the ground behind it, who is desiring it?
The SGPC President said that before proceeding further, the Maharashtra Government should ‘first repeal’ its earlier interference in the Nanded Gurdwara Affairs which it did by way of Ordinance No. III of 2015, making provision to amend ‘The Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Act 1956’, in the year 2015, to nominate the President of Nanded Gurdwara Board.
He said while the traditional democratic practice is that the President was elected by the members of the Board in a transparent manner, from among the members only. He said the Sikhs desire that an election should be conducted at the earliest as per the provisions of the original Nanded Gurdwara Act 1956, so that the Board is made functional democratically as per the sentiments of the community.