Haryana Sikh gurdwara panel meeting faces quorum test
Boycott call by dissenting members casts shadow over today’s General House
The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) is set to hold its General House meeting tomorrow, but ensuring quorum is likely to be a major challenge for committee president Jagdish Singh Jhinda.
Of the 11-member executive body, four to five members — including the senior vice-president — have reportedly been staying away from meetings in protest against the functioning of the president.
The meeting assumes significance as the future of executive body members who have been absent from previous meetings is expected to be discussed. Dissenting members have already announced a boycott, making quorum completion uncertain.
Of the 11-member executive body, four to five members — including the senior vice-president — have reportedly been staying away from meetings in protest against the functioning of the president. To take any action, the committee requires the support of a two-thirds majority (33 members) in the 49-member House.
HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said, “We want to discuss various issues related to the smooth operations of the committee for which we have invited all the members to be present in the meeting. We are aware that the dissenting members will not arrive and they will make an attempt to ensure that the quorum is not completed, but still, we are making all our efforts to persuade the members and requesting them to reach in the meeting and complete the quorum.”
Meanwhile, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission has directed that the meeting be videographed in a manner that clearly shows the faces of all members. The direction came after a petition alleged possible manipulation in showing quorum as complete.
In its order, the commission observed, “There are substantial allegations in this petition that there may be bungling to show the quorum of the meeting complete. The meetings of a democratic institution are never a secret. It should be open to the public in order to maintain the transparency. The commission also come to know that the practice of videography was earlier prevalent in this very Committee, which is a matter of record. Moreover, the videography of the meeting will not cause any prejudice to any of the party and would rather help to resolve the dispute regarding completion of the quorum.”
HSGMC senior vice-president Gurmeet Singh said, “On our petition, the commission has ordered videography of the meeting so that no false claims regarding the completion of the quorum can be made. The committee president hasn’t been able to hold any meeting of the General House and the executive body in which the quorum was complete, hence he should resign on moral grounds. We have decided to mark our presence before the commission on Tuesday, with all our supporters, and boycott the meeting in Kurukshetra.”
With both sides firm on their positions, the February 10 meeting is likely to witness heightened tension over quorum and internal differences within the committee.
