SGPC members, officials clarify about misconceptions being peddled about budget, trusts and assets
Amritsar, March 29:
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office-bearers, members, and officials while rejecting the allegations leveled by SGPC members in opposition including S. Mithu Singh Kahneke, Bhai Gurpreet Singh, and Baba Gurmeet Singh Trilokewale and others regarding the Sikh body’s budget, trusts and assets, termed their objections as baseless and politically motivated.
SGPC executive committee members S. Harjap Singh and S. Gurinderpal Singh, members Bhai Gurcharan Singh, Bhai Rajinder Singh, Bhai Manjit Singh Bhurakohna, S. Surjit Singh, Bhai Ram Singh, Bhai Gurbakhsh Singh Khalsa, and S. Mangwinder Singh, SGPC additional secretaries S. Sukhminder Singh, S. Partap Singh and OSD to SGPC President S. Satbir Singh jointly held a press conference at SGPC office in Amritsar on Tuesday.
The SGPC office-bearers and members clarified in the press conference that the SGPC is working as per the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925 and it is committed to the management of historical Gurdwara Sahibs as well as the healthcare and education institutions and public welfare.
The SGPC office-bearers said that under the leadership of S. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, S. Mithu Singh Kahneke and other members are deliberately defaming the SGPC and it is unfortunate that they also committed negligence by publically misrepresenting the details of the forthcoming budget.
SGPC members Bhai Gurcharan Singh and Bhai Rajinder Singh said that conspiracies are being hatched against SGPC with the intention of taking control of the Sikh body and the facts are being distorted and misrepresented and propagated in the Sangat (community + devotees).
While addressing the media, SGPC member S. Surjit Singh said that the lands of historical Gurdwara Sahibs managed by the SGPC are not occupied by any political person and in fact, the SGPC has got vacated the illegal possessions of the lands from the occupiers. He said the allegation leveled by S. Mithu Singh Kahneke that the lands of SGPC are occupied is far from the truth.
“The land of some Gurdwaras were given to local people for cultivation at the time when these were managed by local management committees. But when the management of these Gurdwaras came directly to the SGPC, a large number of lands were vacated from these possessions. At the time under the management of the local committees, the income from the land of these Gurdwaras was about Rs 39.67 lakh but it has now increased to Rs 4.56 crore. There is an increase of 1,100 % in the income”, said S. Surjit Singh.
“In the last fifteen years, SGPC even had to approach the Supreme Court to vacate the possession of the lands and it brought about 1,354 acres of land under its management. Therefore, the allegations being leveled against the SGPC are not correct, while the members who are leveling these accusations have also remained part of the SGPC executive committee and various sub-committees. Presently, they are defaming the organisation under a deep-rooted conspiracy which cannot be tolerated”, added S. Surjit Singh.
Meanwhile, speaking about the trusts, SGPC member Bhai Ram Singh said that seven trusts are functioning under the SGPC management for smoothly running many healthcare and educational institutions. He said S. Mithu Singh Kahneke has leveled the allegation that these trusts are under political possession, while in fact, they are the properties of SGPC, and the SGPC President is working as their chairman. He said the officials of the SGPC serve as the administrators.
Bhai Ram Singh advised the members who are leveling allegations under the leadership of S. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa to look into his (S. Dhindsa’s) performance. He said S. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa is himself in the possession of trust of educational institutions at Mastuana and on the contrary, he is pointing fingers at the transparent management of SGPC. “He (S. Dhindsa) should first leave the possession of the trust and then talk”, said Bhai Ram Singh.
Clarifying the misconceptions being peddled about the budget, SGPC’s additional secretary S. Sukhminder Singh said that it is not right to link the budget of a Sikh body with profit or loss, but it is dependent on the money offered by the Sangat in the Guru’s houses. He said that before the budget session, the information is dispatched to all the SGPC members so that they can present their views in the general house meeting. “But revealing the information by misrepresenting it before the budget session is not right. According to the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, only the funds which have been earmarked from the Gurdwaras, are taken by the SGPC. These funds are up to 38% and it is false propaganda that 51% of the Gurdwara funds are being taken. Sometimes SGPC even take less fund than the earmarked 38% from the Gurdwaras and this depends on the requirements”, said S. Sukhminder Singh.
S. Sukhminder Singh also clarified that SGPC’s own budget is very limited and the Sikh body arranges its expenses from the allotted funds only. “Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that the offerings by the Sangat were reduced at a large scale, the humanitarian services and the salaries of SGPC employees were kept continued and not even a single employee was fired even during this time of crisis”, said S. Sukhminder Singh.
Speaking about the issue of Gurbani broadcasting rights to the PTC channel, SGPC member Bhai Gurcharan Singh said, “This channel pays Rs 1.90 crore to SGPC annually and its memorandum of understanding is signed till the year 2023. This channel broadcasts the activities and functions of SGPC free of cost”, said Bhai Gurcharan Singh.
Those present on this occasion included assistant secretary S. Kulwinder Singh, S. Balwinder Singh, superintendent S. Malkit Singh, in-charge S. Shahbaz Singh, S. Gurnam Singh, S. Lakhbir Singh, and others.