Capt says maintenance of law & order foremost responsibility

A day after Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal asked Punjab Chief Minister not to “interfere in religious affairs” in reference to Damdami Taksal and Sikh preacher Bhai Ranjit Singh Dhandianwale row, Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asserted that maintenance of law and order in the State was his foremost responsibility, which he was committed to fulfill.

Taking note of Longowal’s reported ‘objections’, Capt Amarinder shot off a letter to SGPC president saying that threatening one another was not acceptable in a civilized society and he did not approve of such action, either as Chief Minister or as an individual.

Longowal, in a statement, objected to Capt Amarinder’s “warning” to Damdami Taksal over alleged threats to Bhai Dhadrianwale, as “interference in the Sikhs’ internal matter”, while asking him to refrain from creating friction between religious preachers, Sikh organizations and Sant Samaj.

Citing SGPC chief’s reported statement regarding apprehension expressed by him on the differences between the Damdami Taksal and Sant Dhadrianwale, Capt Amarinder wrote to Longowal that if there was any difference of opinion amongst various Sikh sects, “it is your bounden duty as SGPC chief to either resolve this issue or seek intervention of the Jathedar of the highest Sikh temporal institution, Sri Akal Takht Sahib”.

Capt Amarinder said: “Punjab had passed through extremely difficult times, and it is time now for traditional institutions such as SGPC to take the initiative to resolve such issues amicably…Since you are the SGPC president, as such the onus lies with you to take necessary steps in this regard.”

Meanwhile, the state Cabinet Minister and senior Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also came down heavily on SGPC chief  saying that the latter should concentrate all his energies on working for the welfare of the Sikh panth instead of being a mere tool in the hands of Badal family.

Asking SGPC president to look into his own conduct, Randhawa said that the Longowal has no right to order Chief Minister to lay off matters concerning panth as the Chief Minister is firstly a Sikh and then a political personality.

Randhawa also challenged the former to tell the Sikh panth that whether he went to Dera Sirsa for seeking votes or not before lecturing Chief Minister on panthic issues.

Taking on SGPC president, Randhawa said that if SGPC chief's heart really beats for the panth, he should stage a dharna outside the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose party BJP is in alliance with the SAD, in order to get the GST on the langar waived off.

Why SGPC has never pinpricked the conscience of the Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal for getting langar out of GST ambit, questioned Randhawa.

Castigating Longowal, Randhwa asked him to explain that where was he himself as also SGPC and SAD at the time of sacrilege incidents of Guru Granth Sahib. “SGPC chief is acting as mere tool and spokesman of the Badal family and is in complete ignorance of the true happenings,” he said.