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Sikhs concerned over Sangh interference in gurdwara polls

Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar

Gurdwara polls are a religious matter, says Sikh leader

NEW DELHI: There is growing c oncern among theSikhs over increasing interference of the Sangh in gurdwara elections which is expected to tilt the scales in favour of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) in the forthcoming elections to the 46-member Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee on January 14.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party coming out openly in support of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and with the process of distribution of tickets taking place from the house of South Delhi BJP Member of Parliament Vijay Kumar Malhotra, a number of Sikhs have started wondering if the Sangh was trying to influence the polls.

"For the Sikhs, intervention by the Sangh is not welcome. They believe the gurdwara polls are a religious matter and so the involvement of the Sangh is not correct. However, neither the BJP nor the SAD (Badal) share this view as they have openly declared that they stand committed to each other," said a senior Delhi leader who has been following the DSGMC polls closely.

The key players in these polls are SAD Delhi led by president Harvinder Singh Sarna and his brother Paramjit Singh Sarna and SAD (Badal) lead by Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee president Avtar Singh Hit.

Prahlad Singh Chandok who is fighting as an Independent is wielding a major influence on the polls as he is said to be enjoying the support of the Badal camp as well. The forth group in the fray is SAD (Panthak) led by Manjit Singh.

While the BJP has been candid about its stance, the Congress does not want to be seen openly supporting the Sarna camp. But in order to defeat the BJP-Badal combine it is leaving no stone unturned.

"The fact of the matter is that the key to the polls lies in the seven seats in the trans-Yamuna area which were won by independents despite various SAD factions fighting the election together last time," said a senior Sikh leader.

People know that the Congress has been backing the Sarna group, but still they voted for it the last time. After the 1984 riots it was the first time that the Congress-backed group won the polls. And this time it seems all set to repeat the performance due to a number of reasons. One, the Congress Government in Delhi has set up a memorial for Guru Tegh Bahadur near Narela. Then a new parking lot has come up at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib and the main hall there has been enlarged with the school, that existed there, being taken to an alternate site.

Sikhs are overall happy that the Congress had installed a Sikh, Manmohan Singh, as Prime Minister and also because he had announced a second compensation package for the 1984 riot victims, of whom about 70 per cent have already received the compensation, said a senior Sikh leader.

The fortunes of the Congress in the Sikh community in Delhi began turning around ever since the party president Sonia Gandhi visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar. And the party has since managed to win the support back in every respect.

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Sikhs concerned over Sangh interference in gurdwara polls

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