Party should discuss Jathedar’s letter: Badal

CHANDIGARH, FEB 7: In a tactical move, Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal has convened a meeting of party'...

CHANDIGARH, FEB 7: In a tactical move, Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal has convened a meeting of party’s political affairs committee here on February 11 to discuss the letter of Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh on adopting Panthic agenda.

Ranjit Singh had written to Badal serving two days notice to adopt the agenda of the “Sikh struggle” in case he wanted to organise Khalsa tercentenary celebrations from the Panthic stage. The agenda lays stress on separate Sikh identity and separate civil code. This agenda was earlier adopted by the Akali Dal during the Dharamyudh morcha. The Jathedar had made the announcement to this effect at a meeting of various Sikh organisations convened at Akal Takht on February 2. Badal had received the letter on Friday. In his reply, Badal argued the Akali Dal was a democratic party and as such, he was not authorised to take a decision on the issues raised by the Jathedar. The letter of Ranjit Singh would be put up at the PAC meeting.

TheChief Minister pointed out he had been unanimously authorised by the party MPs, MLAs, members of the SGPC and working committee to finalise the programme for the Khalsa tercentenary. Already some progress had been made, the details of which had appeared in the papers.

The timing of the PAC meeting is significant as the meeting of the executive committee of the SGPC has been preponed to February 10 from February 15 by the Gurdwara Judicial Commission. The appeal to this effect had been preferred by 10 out of 15 members of the SGPC executive owing allegiance to Badal, citing the urgency of chalking out programmes for the Khalsa tercentenary as the reason. The Akal Takht had earlier summoned Takht Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Manjit Singh and Jalandhar newspaper baron Barjinder Singh regarding different issues. The strategy is to sack Ranjit Singh at the February 10 meeting of the executive committee in which the Badal camp enjoys majority. Tohra has not so far issued notice for pre-poning the meeting to February10 and now the offices of the SGPC have been locked till February 10 in protest against entry of police in parts of the Golden Temple.