LUDHIANA: The Sikh saints have decided to boycott the World Sikh Sammelan slated to take place at Amritsar, from September 2125 under the auspices of the Akal Takht.

An important meeting of the Gurmat Sidhant Parcharik Sant Samajheld last week at Mansuran, 20 km from Ludhiana, decided that the saints should go ahead with their boycott unless the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) the chief organizer of the sammelan, concedes their demands.

The meeting held under the president ship of Baba Thakur Singh, convenor and chief of Damdami Taksel was attended by more than 40 prominent saints.

The president of the Sant Samaj Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi disclosed that sensing the mood of the saints, the SGPC president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra has expressed his desire to hold a meeting with them on September 10 so as to iron out the differences and pave the way for their participation in the first gathering of its kind. But neither the time not the venue has so far been communicated to them.

However, the samaj has constituted a 10member committee to meet Tohra that day if the meeting materializes. The name on the panel has not been made public yet. The Akal Takht jathedar, Prof Manjit Singh also met Bedi also in this connection.

The dominant view at the meeting representing 320 Sikh saints was that they should stay away from the sammelan since the SGPC has not invited them for the meet. Bedi said they got only a verbal invitation and received no formal written invitation.

The saints representing various sects are most upset over the remarks made against them by Giani Kewal Singh, the Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib during the recently concluded Khalsa Chetan March at Mastuana Sahib. Since the criticism of the saints was made by an SGPC appointed jathedar at a state where Tohra was also present, the saints feel this showed in what light the supreme Sikh body viewed them.

Hence, they were sore that they had no point in attending an SGPC meet.

The second contentious issue pertains to Sikh Rebat Maryada as practiced in the Golden Temple complex. The SGPC and the Sant Samaj have divergent views on this vital subject “and have prepared these in black and white. ‘The saints want the irritants in two drafts to be removed before they attend the world meet.

Another important point of difference is that they are stressing that the Akal Takht Jathedar should be appointed through consensus among the community. Prof Manjit Singh who was appointed by the SGPC unilaterally is not acceptable to them.

Significantly, Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, nephew of late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was appointed to this post several years ago but was removed by SGPC Jater and still claims himself to be the Akal Takht Jathedar attended the meeting.

Prominent among those who took part in the meeting included Paramjit Singh Mahilpur, Makhan Singh, Sant Sucha Singh Hawaddi, Sant Shamsher Singh Jagera, Sant Gurbachan Singh Kambliwale, Milkha Singh, Kahan Singh, Hari Singh, Hakam Singh, Balwant Singh and Gurmail Singh.

Article extracted from this publication >>  September 15, 1995