Akalis reduced SGPC to ‘Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee': Punjab CM Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused Akali leaders of reducing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to “Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee out of their greed for money”.

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Addressing a public gathering here, Mann alleged that the Badals “misused” their political power to interfere in religious affairs, including “manipulating the appointment of Jathedars of the Akal Takht to suit their personal interests”.

“Driven by financial motives, the Akalis have degraded the sanctity of the SGPC and misused it and the Akal Takht for narrow political gains,” Mann alleged.

The chief minister also accused the Akali leaders of twisting the directives of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to “deceive the public and serve their own agendas”.

“The Akalis looted not only the state exchequer but also funds belonging to religious institutions. Its tenure was marked by political and religious exploitation, which caused significant harm to Punjab,” Mann said.

“The Akali leadership symbolised a legacy where the poor were neglected while the powerful looted the state with impunity,” he added.

The Akalis “exploited” the underprivileged and weaker sections of society, Mann alleged, adding that “they are now facing the consequences of their actions”.

Mann also claimed that the people of Punjab will never forgive the Akalis for the “crimes” committed against the state and its residents.

Assailing the traditional political parties for remaining “insensitive” towards the welfare of economically weaker and underprivileged sections, Mann said these “selfish” leaders always treated the Schedule Caste (SC) brethren merely as their vote banks.

“As rulers, the Akalis were completely insensitive towards the problems of the common man. They always treated the SC community as vote banks,” Mann claimed.

Training his guns at his predecessors, the chief minister claimed they built huge palaces by “amassing whopping wealth by misusing their official positions”.

“The Akali leaders remained inaccessible to the people due to which they were ousted,” Mann said.