The executive committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has rejected the decision to resign its president, Harjinder Singh Dhami. The committee has appealed to Harjinder Singh Dhami to reconsider his decision. On the other hand, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has asked him to withdraw it and that he should take over the responsibility of the 7-member committee and his services as the Shiromani Pradhan. Dhami has remained silent on the matter so far.
A lawyer by profession, Dhami has already started visiting the district courts in Hoshiarpur to resume his legal practice. Sources close to Dhami said that he is in no mood to withdraw his resignation. A source said that only a formal rejection of his resignation by the SGPC executive committee can force him to reconsider his decision.
Earlier, Dhami had informed the leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the SGPC that he would not take up his post even if his resignation was rejected. But, now, it seems that with the Akal Takht Jathedar’s latest statement and another directive from him, and the SGPC Working Committee formally rejecting his resignation, Dhami may reconsider his decision. Panthic experts believe that he was caught between the Akal Takht’s directives – first to head a seven-member committee for Shiromani Akali Dal membership recruitment and then on an investigation against Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib – and to curry favour with Sukhbir Singh Badal. He had decided to resign after facing criticism from various quarters on both issues and the Badal Dal’s lack of cooperation in the seven-member committee.
Dhami was forced to resign after the Akal Takht Jathedar made critical statements after the SGPC dismissed Giani Harpreet Singh. The Akali leadership had already made it clear that it would run the membership drive on its own, as decided by its Working Committee, and not as per the Hukamnama of the Akal Takht Sahib of December 2 last year.
After Dhami’s resignation, the SGPC office bearers seem to have decided to open a new front against the Akal Takht Jathedar, especially the way they had insisted that the SGPC Working Committee had full authority to remove Jathedars. By doing so, they justified the removal of the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib and, at the same time, underlined the limits of the authority of the Akal Takht Jathedar. They also put pressure on the Akal Takht Jathedar by holding a meeting in this regard.
However, after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh targeted the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Executive Committee, he has gone silent. He said that he was made aware that his authority is limited to the four walls of Akal Takht. Giani Raghbir Singh had said that the members of the SGPC’s Inner Committee informed him about the powers of the Inner Committee and told him that the Chief Granthi of Darbar Sahib, Jathedar or any employee has the right to give or withdraw service. He said that he thought that the order given by Sri Akal Takht Sahib is universal, but from what he was told by the Inner Committee, he came to know that the order given by Sri Akal Takht Sahib begins and ends within the four walls of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. He said that the constitution of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was written while sitting in the light of the pyres of martyrs. We must protect these institutions at all costs. When asked about the discussions on the resignation of the Jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh said that he will not serve for as long as the Guru Sahib wants. Regarding the recruitment of the Shiromani Akali Dal, he said that the seven-member committee should fulfill its assigned responsibility. Although the Executive Committee of the Shiromani Committee met to decide on Dhami’s resignation, the statements made by Senior Vice President of the Shiromani Committee Raghujit Singh Virk and Chief Secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan about the authority of the Shiromani Committee and then the comment made by the Jathedar have further increased the criticism of the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Committee leadership.
It is worth mentioning here that after the December 2 Hukamnama, all three Panthic institutions – the Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib, the Shiromani Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal – are in a critical and conflicting situation. Due to this, the Panthic crisis is deepening.
Jathedar determined to implement the Hukamnama of Akal Takht Sahib
Amid the ongoing dispute with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Akal Takht Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has adopted a strict stance. Giani Raghbir Singh has said that the policy of confrontation should be avoided. He has also made it clear that the Hukamnama issued by Sri Akal Takht Sahib on December 2 will be fully implemented.
In fact, five members of the seven-member committee formed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib regarding the recruitment of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Bibi Satwant Kaur, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri and Iqbal Singh Jhundha, had recently met Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and informed him about the current situation that the committee formed for recruitment in the Shiromani Akali Dal is not getting any support from the Shiromani Akali Dal and that the recruitment will be done automatically.
They want to do.
He said that the working committee of Shiromani Akali Dal Badal is not cooperating. Due to this, the recruitment process is not going on properly. The committee is incapable of working at its level. Among the members, committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Kirpal Singh Badungar have resigned. The Jathedar has been told that whatever further orders the Akal Takht Sahib gives in this matter, the committee members will work accordingly. The committee members said that the Jathedar of Akal Takht has assured that he will implement the order issued by the Akal Takht decision on December 2. It has also been learned that due to the resignation of two members, now only the five-member committee can continue its work. The committee members said that the Jathedar Sahib has assured that the leadership of the Akali Dal will have to follow these orders. The problems of the Akali Dal have increased after the strict stance of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. The Akali Dal fears that the Jathedar may also question the membership recruitment. Due to this, the conflict between the Jathedar and the Akali Dal may increase. Sources have revealed that Badal is not in the mood to cancel the Akali Dal recruitment.
