New Delhi, August 06: A move by Congress government in Haryana to create a separate Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee stirred a hornet”s nest in Parliament with Akali Dal and BJP members warning of serious consequences of “meddling in the religious affairs”. Vociferously opposing the move which comes months ahead of the assembly polls in the state, agitated Akali Dal and BJP members forced two adjournments each in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in the pre-lunch session.
Shouting slogans against the move and seeking statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Akali Dal-BJP members stormed the well in the Lok Sabha and shouted slogans in the Rajya Sabha. In the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Rattan Singh Ajnala (Akali Dal) said bifurcation of the SGPC amounted to “meddling with the religious affairs of Sikhs”, which the community would stoutly oppose.
He said the SGPC is a sacred body for the Sikh community across the world and creating a separate one will not be fair. In the Rajya Sabha, agitated BJP member S S Ahluwalia demanded a statement from the Prime Minister stating he himself is a Sikh.
This prompted Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan to remark not to drag the Prime Minister into the issue.
—-PTI–