Akal Takht takes serious view of Haryana gurdwara committee

Amritsar, Sep 9 (UNI) Taking serious view of the proposed move of the Haryana government to set up a separate gurdwara committee for the Sikhs of the state, the Akal Takht termed it a ''political consperacy''.

''The move is aimed at weakening the Sikh community'', Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh and while talking to mediapersons after a meeting of the five Sikh head priests at the Takht here today.

''If the Sikhs of Haryana have grievances regarding the management of their shrines, they can bring these to the notice of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)'', the Jathedar said. No one was interested in grabbing shrines in any state, he added.

The Haryana government has formed a committee headed by Agriculture Minister Harmohinder Singh Chatha to look into the demand of a separate gurdwara management committee for the Sikhs of Haryana. The Congress had in its last election manifesto promised the Sikhs of Haryana that they would have a separate committee to manage their shrines in the state.

The Chatha committee is expected to submit its report to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda soon. A large section of the Sikhs of Haryana had held a conference at Karnal on Sunday asking the state government to announce the formation of a separate committee within the next 30-days or they would on their own form a 45-member committee for managing their shrines.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which controls the SGPC has already brought the issue before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The SAD too has maintained that the proposal of the Haryana government mounted to interference in the religious affairs of the Sikhs.

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