Jathedar8217;s hukamnama questioned

CHANDIGARH, AUG 3: The newly formed Panthic Council representing several disgruntled Akali leaders today questioned the competence and au...

CHANDIGARH, AUG 3: The newly formed Panthic Council representing several disgruntled Akali leaders today questioned the competence and authority of Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh to issue hukamnama edict.

His authority has been questioned in the context of the latest hukamana issued from Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, banning the practice of serving langar community food in the gurdwaras on tables.

The Panthic Council was set up yesterday at a meeting attended by about 60 to 70 leaders including former minister Sukhjinder Singh and Kuldip Singh Wadala, also head of an Akali faction. The Council leaders claimed the support of MLA Prem Singh Lalpura who has been expelled from the mainstream Akali Dal. However, all these three leaders were conspicuous by their absence at the news conference where all the five Council members, Bharpur Singh Balbir, Talib Singh Sandhu, Shamsher Singh Maloya, Major Jagjit Singh and Raghbir Singh, were present. Leading thechorus against Parkash Singh Badal government and Bhai Ranjit Singh was Bharpur Singh Balbir, a journalist-cum-politician.

Balbir said, according to the Rehat-Maryada laid down by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the jathedars of all the five takhts have to sit down and take a unanimous decision to issue a hukamnama. However, Bhai Ranjit Singh disregarded this practice while issuing hukamnama on the langar issue.

Balbir described the behaviour of the Akal Takht Jathedar as dictatorial and said he would present himself at the Akal Takht if summoned by Bhai Ranjit Singh. He went on to say that Bhai Ranjit Sigh8217;s appointment as the Jathedar was a set back to the dignity of Akal Takht.

He defended serving of langar on tables in the gurdwaras in the West and recalled that Prince Charles, during his visit to the Golden Temple in 1980, was served dry fruits on tables in the langar building.

The Council called upon the SGPC to discuss the issues including thelangar controversy and affairs of the World Sikh Council.

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In the meantime, the Council leaders would seek the views of the Sikh masses in the coming months before finalising some concrete plan of action. The Council was also highly critical of the Akali Dal alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in particular, was lambasted for not taking up long pending issues concerning the State and ignoring the Akali leaders who had made sacrifices.

Meanwhile, Akali Dal Amritsar chief Simranjit Singh Mann also announced a acirc;euro;tilde;acirc;euro;tilde;Punjab Jagao Rally here on September 22 next to bring to peoples notice pending demands concerning Punjab, including transfer of Chandigarh and Punjabi speaking areas, adjudication of river water dispute and according second language status to Punjabi in the neighbouring states.

Mann said the dismal failure of the Akali Dal-BJP government in the State on all fronts was agitating the people. He said the situation had been made worse with the BJPleadership raking up controversial issues and publicly rejecting some of the demands concerning the State.