Separate SGPC for Haryana put Congress in the spot

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana, two neighboring northern states are locked in a new controversy over formation of a separate Shiromani Gurdawara Parbhandak Committee(SGPC) for Haryana for reasons best known to politicians who who seems to be playing the vote bank politics. This time it is Haryana Pardesh Congress Committee (HPCC) which had in its election manifesto promised to Sikh community to form a separate Gurdawara panel for the state.



The point of contention is that certain Sikh leaders of Haryana are now asking Congress to fulfill the poll promise. The Shiromani Akali Dal(SAD) the ruling party in Punjab which has control over SGPC(based in Amritsar) have been opposing any such move by Haryana Government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The controversy blew to full proportion recently when Hooda announced to bring a bill for separate SGPC for state in the next assembly session in first week of September, 2008.

Shiromani Akali Dal had warned AICC president Sonia Gandhi against any interference in Sikh affairs and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also met Prime Minister to apprise of SAD stand on the issue and political consequences of it. Simultaneously, SAD had announced to hold a protest rally in Karnal on August 30. The Haryana Sikhs who have already formed an adhoc Gurdawara Parbhandak committee also announced parallel rally on that day. Fearing bloodshed between the Sikh community, the Congress high command had for the time being put the issue on back burner.

It is believed Congress didn't want to start fresh enmity with Sikhs after its relations have improved following series of incidents like operation blue star and assassination of former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi. She was killed by her Sikh security guards to revenge operation blue star in Golden temple conducted by army in June 1984.

In fact, the politics of SAD has its roots in religion through well established network of SGPC which controls Sikh shrines in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pardesh and Chandigarh. The SGPC, an apex Sikh body, also called mini parliament of Sikhs was first formed in December 1920 as a result of Gurdawara reform movement and on July 7, 1925 Sikh Gurdawara Act was passed by Parliament. The new house is elected every five years. More than 200 historical Sikh shrines are under the control of SGPC beside it runs large number of Medical, Engineering, degree colleges and schools in three states.

When stakes are so high, SAD would not allow sharing its power and assets worth millions attached with Sikh shrines in Haryana. SAD chief patron Parkash Singh Badal has blamed Congress party for trying to divide Sikhs. He claimed that there was no provision for separate SGPC for different states under the pact signed between former Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru and founder SAD president Masater Tara Singh.

Didar Singh Nalvi a spokesman of Haryana's adhoc SGPC said that at the time of reorganisation of Punjab and Haryana in 1966 when Haryana state was carved out of greater Punjab, the Parliament had passed the reorganisation act stating that all assets would be shared in 60:40 ratio. He said that Haryana Sikhs want to fulfill the constitutional requirement.

Gurdawara panel is not the only issue of contention between Punjab and Haryana, The both states are already locked in legal battle over sharing of river waters of Satluj and Ravi. They have also been fighting over transfer of certain territories to each other. These issues crop up only during elections. Gurdawara issue has also incidentally came up when Parliament elections are nearing. The Congress party may face trapped in political tangle over the issue since it has annoyed Sikhs both in Pufnjab and Haryana without gaining any goal.