CHANDIGARH, OCT 2: It was a collective effort in taking the initiative to resolve the crisis in the Sikh religio-political affairs at the special session of the World Sikh Council here yesterday under the leadership of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra.The general house of the council authorised the SGPC chief to set up a committee to go into the accounts of organisation. Significantly, the committee would also make recommendations on its organisational affairs and structure. The report would be submitted to Tohra by October 12 next.On the surface, the funds of the council have been a bone of contention among the clergy with Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh on one side and Takht Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Manjit Singh and Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Kewal Singh on the other. The core issue is the manner of implementing the Sikh Maryada.Bhai Ranjit Singh had banned Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh from attending the meetings of the clergy tillthe submission of accounts of the Council. Manjit Singh was the president of the council till replaced by Justice Kuldip Singh. Both Manjit Singh and Giani Kewal Singh attended the meeting.Decks had been cleared for taking the steps to resolve the crisis on Wednesday with the withdrawal of case from the court filed by Shamsher Singh challenging the validity of the reconstituted council.The election of Kuldip Singh was also legitimised at the special session.Jaswant Singh Mann, who was the secretary general of the council, and has all the accounts with him, had taken the plea that he could not transfer the accounts to the new office bearers as their election was under litigation.Mann preferred to stay away from the meeting though he had assured the SGPC chief to be present. Tohra said it was Mann's proposal to set up a panel.With the setting up of the committee, the onus of handing over the accounts would be on Mann and not Manjit Singh. It is being said Mann would now have no locusstandi to deny the accounts as the legal hurdles have been cleared.Another issue taken up at the meeting was the appeal to the Jathedars against going to the press on any religious or personal issue. Tohra sought the mandate of the council by inserting this appeal in the resolution. He expressed his anguish on the state of affairs with the Jathedars repeatedly going to the press. He made it clear the only purpose of convening the special session was to resolve the crisis involving the Jathedars.Kuldip Singh, the only other speaker after Tohra, also hammered this point and said it was unfortunate the Jathedars were airing their differences publicly.As one of the eight founding members of the council and Higher Education Minister Manjit Singh put it after the meeting, the appeal to the Jathedars was the expression of Panthic consciousness.Meanwhile, Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, chiarman, Guru Gobind Singh Foundation and a member of the council, said the real issue was the manner of pronouncement ofhukamnama (edict) from the Akal Takht as the genesis of the crisis could be traced to it. He said the efforts initiated yesterday were just a patch work.
