General election to the 140member SGPC which manages the affairs of historical Sikh gurdwaras in north India is being held in a few weeks’ time. The election is not being fought strictly on party basis because the Gurdwara Election Commission has not recognized any political party as such but has allowed individual members to get election symbols. Despite this, three clear political formations are in the field to put up as many candidates in each constituency. These are the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Badal, the Shiromani Akali Dal led by Simranjit Singh Mann and the Akali Dal (Panthic) headed by Sant Ajit Singh. ~Both Badal and Mann have announced their respective plans to contest all 140 seats and have ruled out any adjustments. The main contest is likely between these two groups although in selected constituencies the third formation too will be a force to contend with. Unfortunately, parties and individuals are getting projected but issues are not being raised in an effective manner. The most important issue is the capacity of groups to give neat and clean administration. It must be admitted that the present ruling group has not been able to impress anyone with its administrative capacity or the means employed to run the affairs of the gurdwaras. There is nothing much to distinguish between government’s inspectors who collect “haft as” and “monthlies” from the public and the SGPC Inspectors. Direct fallout of the corrupt gurdwara system is the systematic loss of priceless historical articles from gurdwaras. The most sacred gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Amritsar was robbed of numerous manuscripts of Guru Granth Sahib and Janamsakkis as well as articles associated with gurus and precious paintings in the 1984 operation Blue star. The gurdwara administration has failed to account for the articles and to issue a white paper or to retrieve the articles from the Indian government.
The second important issue facing the gurdwara management is the question of constructive utilization of the gurdwara funds for the welfare of the community. There is the need for opening more professional colleges for the Sikh boys and girls so that the community acquires modern skills, and education. The third major issue is to integrate the community with the glorious Sikh history which is nothing but a struggle for Sikh sovereignty and freedom. Will the. Contestants highlight these crucial issues and send a representative accordingly is a million dollar question.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 28, 1996
