Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said when separate gurdwara management committees can be formed for the Takht Sri Patna Sahib and the Takht Sri Hazur Sahib in Nanded, then why the same cannot be done in Haryana. His remark comes amid the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee's strong opposition to recognition to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014.
The Supreme Court had last month upheld the constitutional validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014, enacted by the Haryana government to manage the affairs of gurdwaras in the state. The Haryana government, while respecting Sikh sentiments, had strongly defended the formation of a separate gurdwara management committee for the state in the Supreme Court, Khattar said while addressing a 'sangat' in Panchkula.
"As a result of this, the Supreme Court announced its verdict in favour of the Sikh Sangat of Haryana by upholding the validity of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara (Management) Act, 2014. The verdict will certainly further strengthen the unity of the sect," he said. Before his address, the chief minister attended the 'bhog' (concluding ceremony) of the 'Akhand Path Sahib' (continuous recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib) at the Gurdwara Sri Nada Sahib in Panchkula.
He also participated in a 'Gurbani Kirtan' and offered prayers, according to an official release issued here. The chief minister said that local committees are needed for gurdwaras built at different places and separation of the management system of a gurdwara is certainly not going to affect the unity of the sect. "When separate gurdwara management committees can be formed for Patna Sahib, Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, and Delhi, then why the same cannot be done in Haryana. The formation of the gurdwara management committee (in Haryana) has been done only for making governance and management system of gurdwaras smoother. The religious system is supreme, there is no interference of the government in it," he said.
Khattar said that according to the order of the Supreme Court, the election of the Haryana gurdwara management committee will be held in 18 months, and till then an adhoc committee will look after the functioning of gurdwaras in the state. "In the elections, whosoever wins will get the command of the committee. There will be no interference from the government. After completion of the election process, the adhoc committee will handover all its functioning to the newly elected committee," the chief minister said. He said talks are going for giving a Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation plot in Panchkula to Gurdwara Sri Nada Sahib. A final decision in this regard will be taken soon, Khattar said. (PTI)
