By IANS,
Amritsar : Offering a middle path to address the controversy over Haryana’s move to create its separate Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh organisation Friday asked the central government to allow the Sikh Gurdwara election commission to hold a referendum to gauge the general mood of the Sikhs of Haryana.
Dal Khalsa president Harcharanjit Singh Dhami and spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said that the sole right to decide whether to remain with the SGPC or to set up their own separate organisation rests with the Sikhs of Haryana.
“They should be given the right to express their choice,” a statement by the Dal Khalsa leaders said.
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda earlier this week said that the announcement for a separate SGPC for Haryana could be made Nov 1 this year, the state’s formation day.
The SGPC manages all the major Sikh gurdwaras, including the holiest Sikh shrine Golden Temple, or the Harmandar Sahib, in Amritsar.
The Haryana government’s move to form a separate SGPC also rocked both houses of parliament Thursday following protests from the Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Let the Sikhs of Haryana be given a free hand to decide one way or the other. They should be allowed to exercise their constitutional and democratic right. The referendum is the easiest and simple way to gauge the mood of the concerned people,” the Dal Khalsa leaders said.
They sought an All India Sikh Gurdwara Act (AISG Act) and said this would bring Sikhs of the country closer together.