Debate on fiscal deficit: Sarna accepts DSGMC’s challenge

NEW DELHI:Accepting the challenge for debate on financial deficit thrown by officiating president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Harmit Singh Kalka, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) president, Paramjit Singh Sarna said the Manjit Singh (GK)-led DSGMC was “misusing” the fund of the gurdwara committee.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6

Accepting the challenge for debate on financial deficit thrown by officiating president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Harmit Singh Kalka, the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) president, Paramjit Singh Sarna said the Manjit Singh (GK)-led DSGMC was “misusing” the fund of the gurdwara committee.

He said there was constant financial deficit in the schools, educational institutions and committee due to “dishonest” expenses and overseas leisure tours by the Badal team controlling the affairs of the DSGMC.

Sarna said, “We (Sarna) cannot be blamed for it. If anything illegal would have established related to him, why Manjit Singh GK and Sirsa kept silent for the past five years? When they have made the treasury of the DSGMC bankrupt, they are creating an illusion of recruitment of surplus staff and depriving the school employees from their genuine rights.”

Addressing a press conference here today, he said in 2013, when GK and DSGMC’s general secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa took over the management of the DSGMC, the committee had FDRs of Rs 120 crore. They, soon after taking over the management, had purchased dozens of expensive luxury cars for themselves, travelled in charted helicopters and airplanes, made various leisure trips to Canada, USA, Italy and other countries. Miscellaneous office expenses of the DSGMC have crossed Rs 3.50 crore for the year 2016-2017 and Rs 38 lakh paid to the charted accountant annually for auditing of DSGMC accounts.

But employees of schools and educational institutions are getting salaries after three to four months gap. GK and Sirsa instead of providing legitimate salaries to the school employees are paying huge fee to expensive senior lawyers for persuasion of cases against Badal Dal in Patna courts.

Sarna said GK and Sirsa's personal assistants had kept further two PAs under them, who are provided vehicles and drivers by the DSGMC, which cost lakhs of rupees a month. In 2013, the total salary of the DSGMC staff was Rs 1.25 crore, which had presently increased to Rs 3.50 crore.