Bibi Jagir Kaur assails Centre on SGPC polls

KARNAL: Karnal former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur assailed the Congress led Union government for its proposal to postpone the forthcoming SGPC election.
She was addressing a Sikh gathering on Sunday evening in Nissingh about 25 Km from Karnal after inaugurating Mata Sundri College for Girls. This is the first women college in a semi-urban area opened by SGPC in Haryana.
In fact, the SGPC has given impetus to its activities in Haryana after the formation of a parallel Haryana Shiromani Gurudawara Parbandhak Committee by a splinter group of Haryana Akali Dal.The members of the new Haryana body have been accusing SGPC of neglecting the interests of Sikhs in Haryana and upkeeping Haryana Gurudawaras. The HSGPC has also accused the SGPC of diverting funds of Haryana Gurudawaras to Punjab. This body has demanded that separate entity of HSGPC should be recognized by Shiromani Akali Dal.
The deceased SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra had rejected the demand of a separate body for management of Gurudawaras in Haryana. However, despite best efforts by SGPC to contain revolt of Sikh masses of Haryana against Shiromani Akali Dal, it was observed that during the recently held Lok Sabha polls, Sikhs in majority in the Parliamentary constituencies of Karnal and Kurukshetra voted for Congress candidates. This was against the directives of Akali Dal president Prakash Singh Badal who had asked Haryana Sikhs to vote for INLD candidates.
Panicked over this drift in support and changing trend of Haryana Sikhs both against SGPC and Shiromani Akali Dal, the SGPC is taking steps to recapture the lost ground and appease discontent among Haryana Sikhs. As a first step the SGPC has also accelerated the speed of Miri-Piri Medical College at Shahabad Markanda on GT Road and opened this college.
Bibi Jagir Kaur while condemning the proposed move accused the Centre of blatantly interfering in religious affairs of Sikhs. She alleged that the Congress government at the Centre had envisaged the election postponement step because of its frustration after losing 11 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab.
The SGPC also gave a grant of Rs 20 Lac to the newly opened college. The aim was to spread higher education amongst rural Sikh women in Haryana. This step is also aimed at checking discontent at grass root level amongst Haryana Sikh masses.
A five-acre piece of land for college was donated by Baba Charan Singh-Kar Sewa Wale. Haryana Sikh leaders in strength were present on the occasion.