Harjinder Singh Dhami re-elected president of SGPC for 5th consecutive term

In an emphatic victory, SAD candidate Harjinder Singh Dhami was on Monday re-elected as president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the fifth consecutive time. The election has come as a boost for the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led SAD, especially as it comes ahead of the Tarn Taran bypoll.

Dhami bagged 117 of the 136 votes, while his opponent Mithu Singh Kahneke received 18 votes. One vote was declared invalid. The opposition camp had polled 33 votes last year.

Raghujit Singh Virk was elected as senior vice-president unopposed. Baldev Singh Kalyan and Sher Singh were also re-elected as junior vice-president and general secretary, respectively.

Surjit Singh Garhi, Surjit Singh Tugalwala, Surjit Singh Kang, Gurpreet Singh Jhabbar, Diljeet Singh Bhindar, Baldev Singh Kaimpuri, Major Singh Dhillon, Mangwinder Singh Khaparkhedi, Jungbahadur Singh Rai, Mithu Singh Kahneke and Bibi Harjinder Kaur were elected as executive committee members.

Earlier, Dhami's call for the holding the election by raising hands was rejected. Finding that no consensus was emerging as the rival SAD breakaway faction headed by Giani Harpreet Singh had fielded Mithu Singh Kahneke, it was decided to conduct the poll.

The general house passed eight resolutions spelling out its preference of work for the next year. Framing of the rules for the appointment of the Akal Takht Jathedar did not figure in the resolutions. Notably, this was a major issue only a couple of months ago when the SGPC replaced heads of the temporal seats in quick succession.

The resolutions passed included paying homage to Guru Teg Bahadar on the 350th martyrdom anniversary year. A resolution urged the Centre to announce the release of all Sikh prisoners (Bandi Singhs).

Slamming the Centre’s decision to abolish the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, Chandigarh, another resolution said it was a clear move to strip Punjab of its rights over the premier educational institution. It said it was "another act of injustice and violation" of the federal structure and the Punjab Reorganisation Act.

The general house session reiterated the "legitimate rights and demands" of Punjab and the Sikh community over river waters, Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas. Seeking the end of "illegal diversion" of river waters to other states, the house sought a permanent halt to all activity related to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal. It also said Punjab’s participation in the Bhakra Beas Management Board must be maintained and the Centre must stop imposing unilateral decisions.

The house expressed deep concern over the recent floods in Punjab and held the AAP-run state government responsible for them.

It urged the Centre to reopen the corridor to Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur Sahib (Pakistan) and remove the passport requirement while simplifying the travel procedure.

Another resolution called upon the government to resolve the long-pending issues related to historical Sikh shrines, including Gurdwara Gian Godri Sahib, Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar (Uttarakhand), Gurdwara Dongmar Sahib and Gurdwara Chungthang Sahib (Sikkim) and Gurdwara Baoli Mattha, Jagannath Puri (Odisha).

Condemning the mass killing of Sikhs in November 1984 in Delhi, Kanpur, Bokaro and other parts of the country, it demanded that the Centre issue an apology in Parliament and officially recognise the events as Sikh genocide.