By IANS,
Chandigarh : The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab Saturday released its agenda for the next month’s Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) poll calling for the supremacy of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, and the use of Internet for preaching Sikhism.
Releasing the ‘Panthic agenda’ of the party at a function to mark the 26th death anniversary of Sikh leader Harchand Singh Longowal at his village (Longowal) in Sangrur district, Akali Dal patron and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said that it was only their party which stood by the SGPC since its inception in 1920.
Through the agenda, Badal appealed to Sikh masses to maintain the supremacy of Akal Takht, management of Sikh Shrines in the best possible way and up-gradation of Sikh educational institutions.
Seeking support for Akali Dal candidates for the Sep 18 SGPC poll, Badal urged Sikhs to defeat forces propped up by the Congress. He said that the Congress had been trying for a number of years to interfere in Sikh religious affairs.
He said that the SGPC was involved in a number of development projects for the gurdwaras managed by it in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh and educational institutions run by it.
The SGPC, called mini-parliament of Sikh religion, has an annual budget of nearly Rs.580 crore.