Tuesday, January, 22 2013 - CHANDIGARH: With the national capital being virtually under siege of the Punjab government, temperature is rising in Delhi’s Sikh religio-political matrix. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab is out to capture the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee for which polling would be held on January 27 in which the eligible Sikh voters would elect a 46-member House to manage their religio-political affairs. Apart from managing the Sikh shrines, the DSGMC runs a number of educational and health institutions. It is going to be a close fight. The stakes are much higher than just controlling this second most important Sikh body in the country after the Amritsar based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
The body is presently being dominated by the Delhi Akali Dal headed by Delhi businessman Paramjit Singh Sarna. Being in power for the last two terms, the Delhi Akali Dal is also confronted with anti-incumbency. Sarna at one time used to be close to Akali stalwart Gurcharan Singh Tohra who presided over the affairs of the SGPC for more than a quarter of a century. Presently, Sarna is considered close to the Congress.
The Shiromani Akali Dal campaign is being led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his Deputy Chief Minister son Sukhbir Singh Badal who also heads the party. The entire cabinet, besides senior party leaders, are camping in Delhi. Sukhbir’s brother-in-law and Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia is campaigning in Sarna’s constituency of Punjabi Bagh. The effort is to defeat Sarna at any cost who has his own strong and weak points.
Sukhbir, considered to be expert in managing elections, is trying to replicate Punjab model in Delhi. Liquor is literally flowing freely. The Delhi Akali Dal is attacking the Shiromani Akali Dal on this very issue. It may be mentioned that money and liquor play a significant role in the elections in Punjab. Not only the Akali Dal, almost every party has to resort to such tactics in the sensitive border state. A senior leader in Delhi, however, said the Sikhs in Delhi would not be influenced by such tactics adopted by the Shiromani Akali Dal. The Shiromani Akali Dal tried to revive its fortune in Delhi when it brought in Manjit Singh GK replacing old war horse Avtar Singh Hit.
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Sarna is the Bala Sahib gurdwara hospital affair. The hospital complex on this gurdwara land has been given to a private hospital company to run the affairs. The schools under the management of the DSGMC have been showing poor results. There is also controversy relating to the setting up of the memorial for 1984 November violence victims.
Both the sides are trying to exploit the November 1984 mayhem victims. While the Shiromani Akali Dal attacks Sarna for being in league with the Congress which perpetrated this crime against the Sikhs, Sarna counters this argument to reel out the facts about the help rendered by the DSGMC to the victims while the Shiromani Akali Dal had failed to provide the required help to those victims who migrated to Punjab.
Both the parties have released their manifestos. Shiromani Akali Dal has promised transparency that is missing in the functioning of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee managed by the party over the years. A number of welfare schemes which otherwise come under the ambit of the state government too have been announced. The same have not been implemented in case of the SGPC. Sarna claims there is total transparency in the functioning of the DSGMC.
The Delhi body refused to implement the amended Nanakshahi calendar. A number of other Sikh organisations had also strongly objected to the amendments to the original calendar alleging the Shiromani Akali Dal dominated SGPC had succumbed to the pressure from the Hindutva Parivar. Sarna is also attacking the Shiromani Akali Dal for the failure of the SGPC in checking growing apostasy among the Sikhs in Punjab. Even the children of the SGPC members are known to be violating the Sikh tenets. Sukhbir has dubbed Sarna for being playing divisive politics in the context of the Nanakshahi calendar.
This election has another very significant dimension as it is being held before the Delhi Assembly election due this year. Both the Congress and the BJP are in the field by proxy. Efforts had been made at one level to position the DSGMC poll after the Assembly election. The DSGMC had proposed amendment in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act that included direct election to the office of the president. This would have eliminated horse trading. The election could have been postponed on the pretext of amendments as the same has to be adopted by the Delhi Assembly. The Supreme Court intervention was sought which issued appropriate directions in accordance with which the election is now being held. This election has the potential to set the trend for the Assembly election.
Sarna would need a higher margin to survive. In the last election, the Shiromani Akali Dal had been completely marginalised. In case the Delhi Akali Dal wins majority but with narrow margin, situation would not be comfortable for Sarna as the defection law does not apply in this case. Already, Sukhbir has managed to win over some leaders from the Sarna camp.
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Badal camp upbeat after DSGMC employees announce support
Punjab Newsline
Source
Tuesday, January, 22 2013 - CHANDIGARH: The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today got shot in the arm as the DSGMC Employee Welfare Association today announced to support the party candidates in Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) polls.
Harjinder Singh, President DSGMC Employee Welfare Association and Iqbal Singh, General Secretary of the association along with 1500 association members declared to vote and support the SAD (B) candidates in the presence of party President Sukhbir Singh Badal, Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, former Jathedar Sri AKal Takht Sahib and Sant Harnam Singh Khalsa, Head Sant Samaj during a press conference.
Addressing the association members, Harjinder Singh said that DSGMC employees were not only ill-treated by the Sarna duo during their tenure but also faced hardship as the committee neither implemented the recommendations of 5th and 6th pay commission nor paid dearness allowance (DA) arrears for a decade. He questioned that how one could survive on the salary of mere 5-7 thousands rupees per month in a metro city like Delhi. He said that Sarnas even refused to give uniforms to the staff.....more