Describing the move of the Haryana Government to set up a separate committee for managing the affairs of Sikh shrines in the state as illegal and patently wrong, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that it was a desperate attempt on the part of Congress to hand over the control of Gurdwaras to its agents in Haryana. This ill conceived move was aimed at piding the Sikhs on one hand and destabilizing the Sikh panth on the other.Interacting with the media persons on the sidelines of inaugural ceremony of the newly constructed Rs 65 crore Mandi Board Office over an area of 2.12 acre here in sector 65A, the Chief Minister said that the Haryana Congress was following the footsteps of the erstwhile British government who appointed their stooges (Mahants) to run the affairs of Gurudwaras in the pre-SGPC period as a result of which Gurudwara Reforms Movement was initiated, which led to the formation of SGPC in 1925 after countless sacrifices by the Sikhs. Corroborating his assertion Mr. Badal said that the Sikhs from Haryana never wanted Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Prabandak Committee (HSGPC) as it was aptly proved in the last general elections of SGPC when all the 11 seats in Haryana were captured by the Shiromani Akali Dal with a thumping majority whereas so called protagonist of HSGPC like Jinda and Nalwi were badly trounced and could not even save their security deposits from forfeiture. However, he said that now these cronies were playing into the hands of Haryana Congress in furtherance of its political motives, eyeing on the forthcoming state assembly elections.
The Chief Minister even slammed the Haryana Congress for including the demand of HSGPC in its election manifesto with an ulterior motive to exploit the religious sentiments of Sikhs living there. However, Mr. Badal categorically said the entire episode for the creation of separate committee was merely a political gimmick of Congress which would soon unfold into reality and said that it was practically not feasible to constitute separate committee and would not happen at all. He also mentioned that even the Haryana Congress was time and again refrained from acting so by the former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who never allowed them to meddle in the religious affairs of Sikhs, realizing fully that this sinister move could vitiate the congenial atmosphere in the region beside piding the Sikhs on regional basis.Earlier in his address, the Chief Minister said that the new office of Mandi Board would facilitate the people coming from far off places of the state to get their works done in a hassle free manner.
He also lauded the role played by the Mandi Board in ensuring hassle free procurement of the crops of the farmers on one hand and fetching them remunerative returns of their produce on account of MSP besides playing a key role in the rural development. Mr. Badal said that the now the Mandi Board has persified its operations especially with the upcoming latest fish markets, vegetable and fruit markets, flower markets and new timber markets. He hoped that Mandi Board would continue to play a pivotal role in the development of agriculture especially in the current phase to bring persification of agriculture by ensuring hassle free marketing facilities to the farmers at their doorsteps.Prominent amongst others who attended the function included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. NK Sharma, Lok Sabha MP Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, Chairman Punjab Mandi Board Mr. Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, Financial Commissioner Development (FCD) Mr. Suresh Kumar, Vice Chairman Punjab Mandi Board Mr. Ravinder Singh Cheema and Secretary Mandi Board Mr. Deepinder Singh besides the senior officers of civil and Police administration.