Gurdwaras mustn’t have govt interference, Giani Gargaj tells Haryana CM
Jathedar urged chief minister Nayab Singh Saini to ensure that students are taught Punjabi from the beginning in Haryana schools; says Haryana should hire employees who can read and write Punjabi.
There should be no government interference in gurdwara affairs, Akal Takht officiating jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj said to Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini who was at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Sri Anandpur Sahib to pay obeisance on Baisakhi on Sunday. Giani Gargaj, who is also the jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, honoured Saini with a shawl, Sikh literature and a photo of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, said a spokesperson of the jathedar.
The jathedar called for resolving issues concerning the Sikh community in Haryana. Regarding the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) issue, the jathedar said, “Though the Sikh community does not agree with a separate gurdwara committee in Hayana apart from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, now that elections have taken place, the management should be handed over according to the community’s wishes and the government interference in gurdwaras be ended.”
“The Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, is still in effect so the SGPC constituencies in Haryana should remain intact,” he said. He also urged the CM to ensure that students are taught Punjabi from the beginning in Haryana schools. “Government offices in Haryana should hire employees who can read and write Punjabi. Sikh candidates shouldn’t be asked to remove their religious articles (kakars) in any exam,” he said.
