STOCKTON, Ca: In a joint statement issued after a meeting of the member of WS.O. Governing Council from S . Didar Singh Bains .

President W.S.O, (International) and S. Gian Singh Sandhu, President W.S.O. (Canada), stated that considering the gravity of the situation faced by Sikhs today, it was imperative that all efforts should be directed to uphold the dignity and honour of the Sikh Panth rather than dissipating “our energies in finding faults in one another”,

In the meeting various issues confronting the Sikhs were discussed and the following telegrams were sent to the concerned quarters.

World Sikh Organization rejects the All India Gurdwara Act draft as it attempts to dilute the supremacy of the Harmandir Sahib and the Five Takhts. The draft is a subtle conspiracy to make Shiromani Gurdwara Pa bandhak Committee subservient to a body that will, in practice; turn out to be highly vulnerable to the Central Government’s interference in the Sikh religious affairs.

W.S.O. sincerely feels that All India Gurdwara Act, being of paramount concern to each and every Sikh, should be formulated in consultations with all the representative organizations and institutions. Representative Sikh organizations abroad must also be involved in this exercise. W.S.0. wishes to make it clear that only an Act that has an explicit approval of the major Sikh bodies would be acceptable to the Sikhs.

W.S.O. strongly feels that enactment of the Act is secondary to the fundamental issue of Sikh dignity and freedom in India and ‘must wait till this issue is settled.

World Sikh Organization condemns the nomination of Mr. Gopal Singh by the Indian government as a Sikh representative to the All Religion Peace Convention being organized in Rome. Mr. Gopal Singh is not a nominee of any Sikh body and represents the Indian government and not the Sikhs. He was appointed Lt. Governor of the Union Territory of Goa by the government of India for distorting the basic concepts of Sikhism under the influence of ruling Brahmin lobby in India.

‘W.S.O. appeals to the organizers of the convention not to treat Mr. Gopal Singh as a Sikh Organization’s nominee should not be invited to attend the Convention.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 24, 1986