SAD slams Ayali, Bains for raising jathedar issue in assembly

The issue of the removal of three jathedars by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was raised in the Punjab Assembly on Friday with ruling and opposition MLAs denouncing the move.

Education minister Harjot Singh Bains, during Zero Hour on the last day of the assembly, demanded a discussion over the issue.

He was joined by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Manpreet Singh Ayali, who criticised the removal of three jathedars of the temporal seats of the Sikhs by SGPC and said that the SAD leadership neither accepted the edict nor approved the committee.

Ayali, who is elected MLA from Dakha, is one of the three SAD MLAs in the 117-member Punjab assembly. The other MLAs are Ganieve Kaur Majithia and Dr Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi. Sukhi joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in August last year.

“Being a Shiromani Akali Dal member, I strongly condemn the removal of the jathedars. Instead of accepting the edict, SAD and the SGPC removed the jathedars, which hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs. We want a system to be adopted that appointment and their removal are acceptable to the entire Sikh Panth,” Ayali said.

Ayali is also part of the Akal Takht-appointed committee, currently spearheading a parallel membership drive for SAD.

Ayali added that had SAD leadership accepted the December 2 edict, “our party, which stands marginalised, would have been revived.”

Ayali’s comments drew a sharp reaction from the SAD. Party’s vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema said that Punjab Vidhan Sabha has no jurisdiction over Akal Takht and SGPC.

“Party’s estranged leader has sought the intervention of the state legislative assembly for making rules and regulations for the appointment of the jathedars of the temporal seats of the Sikhs including Akal Takht. Vidhan Sabha has no jurisdiction over Akal Takht and SGPC,” Cheema said.

Cheema said Ayali has undermined the authority of the Takht.

“This shows that Ayali and the rebel Akali leaders are only using the name of Akal Takht for their political ends,” Cheema added.

Cheema also slammed Bains for trying to initiate a discussion over the issue.

“Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan should have stopped the discussion. Will the speaker allow issues of other religions to be taken up for discussion in the Vidhan Sabha?” Cheema asked, demanding that the discussion should be deleted from the vidhan sabha records.

“There was no need for this discussion once the SGPC president has made it clear that that rules for appointment of the jathedar will be framed,” the SAD vice-president added.

Post the December 2 edict pronounced last year by the Sikh clergy, the SGPC on March 7, removed Giani Raghbir Singh as jathedar of Akal Takht, while Giani Sultan Singh was also removed as the jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib. Before these two jathedars, Giani Harpreet Singh was discharged from his duties as jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in Talwandi Sabo in February.