Jathedars’ removal act of vengeance: CM
A day after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) removed Giani Raghbir Singh from the post of Akal Takht Jathedar and Giani Sultan Singh as Jathedar of the Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has condemned the move, saying it seemed an act of vengeance.
The SGPC has appointed Giani Kuldeep Singh Gadgaj as the new Jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, also serving as the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, until a new appointment is made.
The Akal Takht in Amritsar and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib are two of the five seats of temporal authority of Sikhs.
Replying to a question by mediapersons on Saturday, Mann said, “This is a religious matter. Politics should learn from religion, but its exact opposite is playing out. Politicians are interfering into religious affairs.”
Speaking on the sidelines of an event to flag off a batch of school principals for training in Singapore, Mann highlighted the need to hold SGPC general elections.
Commenting on SAD leaders, including Sukhbir Singh Badal, Mann said, “You accepted all your mistakes and even undertook ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment). Now you say we will remove the Jathedars. It seems an act of badlakhori (vengeance).”
In December, the Akal Takht had pronounced religious punishment for SAD leaders, including Badal, for the “mistakes” committed by the party and its government in the state from 2007 to 2017.
Giani Raghbir Singh, Giani Sultan Singh and Giani Harpreet Singh were part of the five Singh Sahibans who pronounced the edict.
Giani Harpreet Singh was removed from the services as Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib on February 10. On Friday, Giani Raghbir Singh was removed as Akal Takht Jathedar and it was said that in the face of growing challenges, his leadership was deemed “inadequate in guiding the Panth” and that his “inconsistent approach weakened the Panthic unity”. Giani Harpreet Singh, meanwhile, termed the removal of the other two Jathedars as a “black day” for the Sikh community.
Amritsar, Mohali to be biz hubs
Amritsar and Mohali will emerge as hubs of innovation in entrepreneurship under the efforts to boost startup ecosystem, the CM said at an event to celebrate International Women’s Day at Khalsa College of Education for Women in Amritsar on Saturday.
He engaged in an interaction with students and was replying to a query on what the state government was doing for job creation in terms of AI and technology-driven sectors. “We will set up brainstorming centres just like the concept of makerspace in Germany. These open spaces will be innovation, training and experimentation workshops for students, industry stakeholders and creatives,” said Mann.
The CM said the state government had already introduced Business Blasters initiative at the school level for sharing ideas and Rs 11 crore had been disbursed to students. He said the sole motive of the initiative was to provide students with a platform for brainstorming so that new business ideas could be floated.
Extending wishes on women’s day, the CM spoke about Pahal, a pilot project that engages women in Sangrur villages for stitching uniforms for government school students. He said the project would now be expanded to other districts. “We will provide sewing machines to panchayats, which will be provided to women to earn money by stitching uniforms,” he said.
