Days after Jathedar’s ouster, Dhami quits as SGPC president

Harjinder Singh Dhami on Monday resigned from his position as president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and from the seven-member committee appointed by the Akal Takht Jathedar to oversee the membership drive of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). The SGPC executive is yet to decide on the acceptance of his resignation, which could potentially trigger a power struggle among Panthic leaders vying for the top SGPC post.

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Akal Takht had rebuked SGPC

Two days after Giani Harpreet Singh was sacked, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had, in an FB post on Feb 13, criticised the action, saying it undermined the Takht’s authority and threatened its independent existence

Dhami’s resignation comes days after Giani Harpreet Singh was removed as Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib. It also follows strong criticism from Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, who condemned the dismissal of Giani Harpreet Singh, calling it an attack on the independence and authority of the institution of Jathedar.

In a hastily convened press briefing on Monday, Dhami, a four-time SGPC president, announced his decision to step down on “moral grounds”. He cited a February 13 Facebook post by Giani Raghbir Singh, which criticised the procedure used to remove Giani Harpreet Singh. The post stated that the dismissal not only undermined the authority of the Takht Sahibans but also threatened their independent existence. Dhami claimed moral responsibility for the action and tendered his resignation from both the SGPC presidency and the Akal Takht Jathedar-appointed committee.

Referring to Jathedar Raghbir Singh’s post, which said the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh was “highly condemnable” and “unfortunate”, Dhami stated, “As the president of the SGPC, I take responsibility and resign from my post on moral grounds with immediate effect.” He also confirmed that he had written to the Akal Takht Jathedar, requesting to be relieved from his role in the seven-member committee tasked with supervising the SAD’s membership drive.

The SGPC, dominated by the SAD, had dismissed Giani Harpreet Singh on February 11 over the allegations of “moral misconduct”. The SAD’s membership drive has faced criticism, particularly after the party rejected the Akal Takht-appointed panel to oversee the campaign. The drive was intended to be followed by a restructuring of the party.

Giani Harpreet Singh had labelled the SAD’s membership drive as “bogus”. He pointed out that while Akali leaders claimed to have enrolled 35 lakh voters, the party had secured only 18 lakh votes in the last Lok Sabha elections.