Jagir Kaur new SGPC chief
From
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service
AMRITSAR, March 16 —
History of sorts was created in Sikhism, when Bibi Jagir
Kaur, Minister for Tourism and Social Welfare was elected
the first ever woman president of Shiromani Gurdwara
Pra-bandhak Committee – known as the mini-Parliament
of Sikhs all over the world. She replaced Akali stalwart
Gurcharan Singh Tohra who was president of the committee
for a record 25 terms.
The appointment of Bibi
Jagir Kaur assumes significance in view of International
Woman Year. Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Secretary General,
SAD, while welcoming the decision of Mr Parkash Singh
Badal of electing a woman as chief of SGPC said he (Mr
Badal) had taken a historic decision to mark the
tercentenary of the foundation of Khalsa Panth.
Immediately after her
election, Bibi Jagir Kaur announced her resignation as
minister. She said that she would devote all her time to
religion and won't take part in politics anymore. This
was an oblique reference to Mr Tohra, who had been
nursing a political constituency along with his religious
activities. She, however, said she won't resign from the
Assembly.
The election of Bibi Jagir
Kaur as (President), Mr Balbir Singh Pannu as Senior
Vice-President, Mr Kewal Singh Badal as Vice-President
and Hardilbir Singh Shah as general-secretary was made by
a voice vote in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner,
Mr Narinderjit Singh. As many as eleven executive members
of the SGPC were also elected.
Before election of the new
SGPC house a no-confidence motion was passed against the
entire previous house, including Mr Tohra. The
no-confidence motion was moved even though Mr Tohra had
already resigned as president of the SGPC late yesterday
evening. The pro-Badal SGPC members who held an emergency
meeting today morning alleged that Mr Tohra had resigned
as a tactical move to scuttle the no-confidence motion.
This is the third no-confidence motion since enactment of
Sikh Gurdwara Act in 1925. The other no-confidence
motions were moved during the sixties when Master Tara
Singh and Sant Fateh Singh were fighting for supremacy in
the religious and political field.
The no-confidence motion
was passed amidst a walkout by Mr Simranjit Singh Mann,
president, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and six other
SGPC members. 140 of 180 members were present. Mr Tohra
and his supporters boycotted the house when objections
were sought from the house on the no-confidence motion,
Mr Mann was the first member to raise his hand. He said
he and his party were not participating in the
no-confidence motion as the December 31 hukamnama
announced by Bhai Ranjit Singh the then jathedar Akal
Takht (now under suspension) had directed the Akali
leadership to put off their feud till the completion of
tercentenary celebrations. We wont violate the hukamnama
of the Akal Takht with our participation," he said.
Ridiculing the moving of a no-confidence motion against
Mr Tohra and the executive, Mr Mann said it was you
people (Badal camp) who had re-elected Mr Tohra for the
25th time on October 22.
The SAD (Amritsar) was the
only panthic faction which staged a walkout.
Political observers said
that SAD (Amritsar) had taken a tactical stand at the
time of no-confidence motion in neither opposing nor
supporting Mr Tohra.
Mr Badal, who reached here
yesterday evening, remained at the circuit house to
monitor the situation. He left for Chandigarh immediately
after the no-confidence motion was passed.
Before the election of the
new house, the letter of Mr Parkash Singh Badal was read
out by Mr Kirpal Singh Bandugar, secretary SAD and OSD to
Chief Minister listing the new list of office-bearers.
Nobody from the house raised any objection.
Later, while talking to
the press, Bibi Jagir Kaur justified suspension of Bhai
Ranjit Singh by the pro-Badal executive on February 10
and endorsed the appointment of Giani Puran Singh as
acting Jathedar in place of Bhai Ranjit Singh.
She said that she would
bring members of the SGPC on a single platform so that
religious issues could be taken up in a harmonious ways.
She also promised to unite the entire Sant Samaj for
celebration of tercentenary of the Khalsa Panth.
The general house, which
met in the Teja Singh Samundari Hall in the SGPC complex
at one pm also elected 11 executive members, including Mr
Raghujit Singh Virk, Mr Bhagwant Singh, Mr Satnam Singh
Bhai Rupa, Mr Suba Singh, Mr Gurpal Singh, Mr Mal Singh
Ghuman, Mr Joga Singh, Mr Joginder Singh, Ms Kiranjot
Kaur, Mr Partap Singh Jalandhar and Dr Jodh Singh.
Interestingly, the general
house did not mention the resignation announced by Mr
Tohra yesterday. Mr Tohra sent his resignation through a
special messenger. But it was not accepted by Mr Balbir
Singh Pannu, general secretary SGPC (now senior
president). The Badal camp, claimed that since the
no-confidence vote was against the entire executive and
not against Mr Tohra alone, the resignation submitted by
him yesterday had no meaning except to
"sabotage" the general house meeting.
Since Mr Tohra and senior
vice-president Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur a confidant of Mr
Tohra boycotted today's general house meeting, the
meeting was chaired by junior vice-president Mr Kewal
Singh Badal (son of Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Agriculture
Minister Mr Hardilbir Singh Shah, who was an executive
member in the previous house has been elevated as general
secretary and Mr Kewal Singh Badal has retained his
earlier post of junior vice-president.
Interestingly, the
election of the new house was done by a voice although Mr
Parkash Singh Badal had said that the election would be
conducted through a secret ballot.
Born on October 15,1954,
Bibi Jagir Kaur has many firsts to her credit. She was
elected for the first time as SGPC member during the last
committee and assembly elections respectively. Later she
became minister. She is the first woman to head the
SGPC– known as 'mini parliament' of Sikhs.
Though late Bibi Nirlep
Kaur was the first woman who had contested the election
for presidentship in eighties, she lost the same.
Before joining the
politics, Bibi Jagir Kaur served as school teacher for
some time. She resigned from the post to join active
politics.
Daughter-in-law of late
Bawa Harnam Singh, a former minister. Bibi Jagir Kaur is
also a head of the Dera Sant Baba Prem Singh Murlewala
(Begowal). She had defeated Mr Sukhpal Singh, son of Mr
Sukhjinder Singh, a former minister by a big margin
during the February assembly elections from Bhulath
(Kapurthala).
Political observers are of
the view that Mr Badal has killed many birds with one
stone with the appointment of Mrs Jagir Kaur as SGPC
chief. One, he has earned the praise of the women for
electing a woman at a time when the bill for 33 per cent
reservation for women is yet to be passed. Two it will be
difficult for Mr Tohra and others to speak out against a
woman.
Three, she belongs to a
backward community and election of a backward class woman
as chief of the SGPC and a scheduled caste as Acting
Jathedar of Akal Takht. In this way the SAD would woo the
backward and SC votes in the coming elections. Lastly,
had Mr Badal elected Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Mr Pannu
or any other stalwart they would have created problems
for Mr Badal in the long run like Mr Tohra.
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