CHANDIGARH, JAN 29: Efforts were initiated at yet another level today to resolve the religio-political crisis resulting from the ``ex-communication'' of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, with the jathedars of two takhts calling on her in the morning.The agenda is to pave the way for a broader meeting involving all those who are directly concerned with this crisis.The damage control exercise was earlier launched by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who also heads the Akali Dal. In a dramatic development, Giani Puran Singh, jathedar of Akal Takht, the supreme temporal authority of the Sikhs, took the extreme action against Jagir Kaur, who heads the mini-Parliament of the Sikhs.Prof Manjit Singh, jathedar of Takht Keshgarh Sahib at Anandpur Sahib, who returned from his foreign trip yesterday, along with Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Kewal Singh met the SGPC chief at her residence.``All this happened in my absence and I wanted to have the first-hand account,'' ProfManjit Singh said.Badal, who had contacted Puran Singh at Hazoor Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra, talked to Bibi Jagir Kaur yesterday. Prof Manjit Singh will talk to Giani Puran Singh when he returns from Hazoor Sahib tomorrow to initiate the exercise to remove the misunderstanding. The crisis can pose a serious problem for Badal, especially at the time when the Akali Dal faces the Nawanshahar Vidhan Sabha by-election. All India Shiromani Akali Dal chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra and his associates are keenly watching the development and they are attributing the crisis to what they describe as anti-Akal Takht policies adopted by Badal, beginning with the removal of then jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh.According to the sources, the effort would be to bring together all the Singh Sahibs (including three jathedars and two head priests), Jagir Kaur, members of the SGPC executive committee and the dharam parchar committee and then sort out the irritants. This move would be initiated after Prof Manjit Singh has discussedthe situation with the Akal Takht jathedar and has the first-hand account of the circumstances which forced him to issue the `hukamnama' (edict) excommunicating Jagir Kaur from the Panth from Guna while on way to Hazoor Sahib.The procedure of issuing this hukamnama has already been questioned by one jathedar and four high priests, including the head priests of the Golden Temple and the Akal Takht. Significantly, while pointing out that the `maryada' (religious code of conduct) was not observed while issuing the hukamnama, they had called upon Giani Puran Singh to explain his position.The bone of contention is implementation of the Nanakshahi Calender and sources close to the jathedars maintain this issue had been resolved at a meeting of all those concerned on January 16 at the Akal Takht in the presence of Giani Puran Singh. It is for this reason that way is being paved for another meeting of all those who attended the January 16 meeting.``What is happening is unfortunate as the Sikh psyche hasbeen injured in the ego clash which has developed into a confrontation between the two exalted organisations of the community,'' said a senior leader who has intervened to resolve the crisis. He said the issue was not finding out who was guilty, but ending the misunderstanding as the SGPC and the Akal Takht have to function as complimentary organisations.
