MADERA, Calif.  :W.S.O. members from Fresno, Madera and Karman Chapters met here on Sunday, February 2, 1986. The ‘meeting was held in the new office complex of Dr. Ranjit Singh Rajpal who had arranged a two-hour Kirtan session for the inaugural ceremony of the office complex. The Kirtan was performed by Bhai Sadhu Singh and Party and by a Kirtan Jatha from Livingston, California. S. Ganga Singh Dhillon was along with Birishwar Singh Grewal on the request of these Chapters, Dr. Gurinder Singh Grewal and Prof. MS. Sidhu, who had gone there to participate in the Kirtan, were also invited to attend the meeting. The members expressed their concern at the dissensions in the WS.O. and were particularly unhappy at the way two separate meetings of the WS.O, US.A. National Council were called at two different places on the same date.

S, Lakhbir Singh Chima, acting president, has called the National Council meeting at New York on February 15, 1986 and S. Ganga Singh has fixed the Council meeting at Houston on the same day. It ‘was felt that ways and means be explored to bring unity and cohesion in the W.S.O. in order to attend to the urgent task of achieving the declared objectives.

After prolonged and down to earth frank discussions in which various doubts and constitutional points were cleared, the members from the participating Chapters strongly felt that there should be only one meeting, In the light of which it was suggested that the ticklish issue of making all National Council members agree to attend one meeting can be resolved by holding the meeting at a place other than New York and Houston. Following this suggestion, Dr. Gurinder Singh Grewal ‘was requested to undertake the responsibility of taking up this ‘matter with other National Council members. Dr. Grewal, however, said that he would be willing to explore the possibility of one meeting on the assurance that S. Ganga Singh will :

  1. cancel his Houston meeting.
  2. attend the National Council meeting.
  3. accept the majority decision and
  4. actively support the organization.
  5. Ganga Singh said that he would accept it provided the meeting was held at either Kansas, Chicago, Cleveland, or Nebraska. Dr. Grewal pointed out that he would try for one of these venues but Ganga ‘Singh should have no objection to any alternate venue on the East Coast if majority of the members favored the meeting on the East Coast. S. Ganga Singh finally accepted that he would attend the meeting at any place other than New York.

World Sikh News learned that the majority of National Council ‘members have endorsed the decision for an alternate venue so as to strengthen the unity of the organization, It is also learnt that the Acting President, Mr. Chima, has suggested Washington D.C,, the hometown of Ganga Singh, as the possible venue for the meeting. The final decision is expected in a day or so.

Article extracted from this publication >> February 7, 1986