Akalis reduced SGPC to ‘golak' committee: Bhagwant Mann
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused Akali leaders of reducing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to a 'Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee,' driven by greed for money.
Speaking at a public gathering, Mann alleged that the Badal family misused their political power to interfere in religious affairs, including manipulating the appointment of jathedars of the Akal Takht to serve their personal interests.
'Driven by financial motives, the Akalis have degraded the sanctity of the SGPC and misused both it and the Akal Takht for narrow political gains,' he said.
Mann further accused the Akalis of twisting the directives of the Akal Takht to deceive the public and advance their own agenda. 'The Akalis looted not only the state exchequer but also funds belonging to religious institutions. Their tenure was marked by political and religious exploitation, causing significant harm to Punjab,' he added.
Mann claimed the Akali leadership neglected the poor while enabling the powerful to loot the state with impunity, exploiting the weaker sections of society.
'The people of Punjab will never forgive the Akalis for the crimes committed against the state and its residents,' Mann warned.
He also criticised traditional political parties for being insensitive to the welfare of economically weaker and underprivileged communities, accusing them of treating Scheduled Castes merely as vote bank.
'As rulers, the Akalis remained indifferent to the problems of the common man and treated the SC community as vote banks,' Mann said.
He further alleged that Akali leaders amassed enormous wealth by misusing their official positions and remained inaccessible to the public, which ultimately led to their downfall.
CM has insulted Sikh community: SGPC chief
Reacting sharply to Mann's comment, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami said 'it is an insult to the Sikh community and its premier religious body'.
Dhami said the CM's remark was not only baseless and offensive to Sikh sentiments, but also displayed 'intellectual bankruptcy' and 'political arrogance.' He termed the statement a 'blatant insult to the highest religious institution of the Sikh Panth.'
'Such irresponsible comments reflect a shallow understanding of Sikh institutions and history,' Dhami said, warning that targeting the SGPC for political purposes could have far-reaching consequences.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
CM Mann hands over loan waiver certificates, says ‘govt working for wellbeing of underprivileged sections'
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said his government is working untiringly for the wellbeing of the state's weaker and underprivileged sections. Addressing a gathering after handing over loan waiver certificates to the beneficiaries here, Mann said the previous governments in the state waived loans of the affluent people but didn't bother about the welfare of the poor. 'For the first time in the history of Punjab, this reprieve is being extended to the underprivileged and weaker sections of society,' Mann said. The loan waiver scheme worth Rs 67.84 crore has benefited around 4,800 families of loanees of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation (PSCFC), the chief minister said. On June 3, the Punjab Cabinet gave its nod to waive loans amounting to Rs 67.84 crore taken by over 4,000 Dalit families from the PSCFC. Mann said the waiver covers all loans disbursed by the PSCFC up to March 31, 2020, offering significant relief to SC and Divyangjan (persons with disabilities) loanees. The move will benefit 4,727 loanees for an aggregate amount of Rs 67.84 crore. The scheme will cover all the loanees, including 4,685 defaulting loanees and 42 regular loanees, government sources said. Addressing the gathering, Mann said 'no due certificates' () will be issued by the state government and the full amount of Rs 67.84 crore comprising principal, interest and penal interest calculated as of April 30, 2025, will be reimbursed to the PSCFC by the state government. The loanees who previously availed benefits under the earlier waiver schemes are also eligible for coverage under this initiative, Mann said. No recovery proceedings will be initiated against the loanees and their accounts will be considered fully settled as of the cut-off date, he added. According to the 2011 Census, Scheduled Castes constitute 31.94 per cent of Punjab's total population and many members of this community have availed loans from the PSCFC to set up self-employment ventures aimed at economic upliftment. However, Mann said some borrowers were unable to repay their loans due to circumstances beyond their control, leading to defaults. These families could not repay their loans due to circumstances such as demise of the main earning member, prolonged illness, or having no other source of income, etc. Recovering these loans from such people was unjust, so the state government has decided to waive them, the chief minister said.
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
A strong regional party is a necessity not just for panth, but nation: At Sukhdev Dhindsa's prayer meet, Jakhar urges Akali factions to unite
Giving a clarion to the Akali Dal factions to unite and put up a strong political front, Punjab's BJP president Sunil Jakhar Sunday said that a 'strong regional party is a necessity, not just for the panth (Sikh community), but for the entire nation.' Echoing his views, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal also said that Dhindsa also wanted to see a 'united Akali Dal for the sake of Punjab and its people.' Paying tributes to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) veteran Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa at his prayer meeting in Sangrur, Jakhar said that all Akali factions should shun their differences, ego and unite for the sake of the panth, Punjab and the country. Dhindsa died on May 28 following age-related health issues at a private hospital in Mohali. He was 89. 'A strong panthic party is not just a necessity for the Panth, the community, the state of Punjab but also for the nation. All Akali factions should set aside their egos and unite for the community's interests, stepping forward for the Panth and Punjab. That would be a true tribute to Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,' said Jakhar. 'It must also be kept in mind that due to internal differences, Punjab's great heritage should not be usurped by others, lest the Panth, the community, and Punjab have to bear the consequences,' he added, while addressing the gathering which included politicians from across the party lines. Jakhar further said: 'The true tribute to Dhindsa would be to safeguard and preserve the ideology he stood on for his entire life. For him, the issues of qaum (community) and panth were his priority. We have to unite and save our Punjab which is the land of Gurus. I appeal to all with folded hands, that a strong, united panthic party is not just a necessity for the panth or Punjab but the country also needs it. Please keep your differences aside and unite. Punjab may have to see black days again if outsiders will take over.' The BJP and Punjab's oldest 100-year-old regional party Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), had ended its over two-decade alliance in 2020 over the three farm laws. Even as the contentious farm laws were later rolled back by the BJP-led Centre, the alliance failed to stitch again. Currently, the SAD led by Sukhbir Singh Badal is facing a major challenge from a group of dissidents including senior leaders such as Manpreet Singh Ayali, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Santa Singh Umedpur, Jagir Kaur among others. Also, there are several splinter groups of the Akali Dal such as SAD (Amritsar) led by Simranjit Singh Mann, Akali Dal Waris Punjab De led by jailed Member Parliament Amritpal Singh etc. Dhindsa had also turned rebel while questioning the leadership of Badals and had constituted his own SAD (Democratic), which he had later merged with another SAD veteran late Ranjit Singh Brahampura's SAD (Taksali), and together they had formed SAD (Sanyukt). However, Dhindsa was again back to SAD-led by Badals before being expelled again for alleged 'anti-party activities'. In 2007 and 2012, SAD-BJP alliance had stormed to power in Punjab for two consecutive terms with Parkash Singh Badal as the CM, and son Sukhbir his deputy. Since 2017 when Congress came to power in Punjab, followed by AAP in 2022, SAD has been largely decimated from state's political picture. Currently, it has just 3 MLAs in 117-member Vidhan Sabha of which one has turned rebel and another has joined AAP. Former union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the only SAD MP in Lok Sabha from Bathinda. Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, SAD president and former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, also called for unity among Akalis and said that this what late Dhindsa had also expressed days before he passed away. Remembering other Akali veterans including his father (and five-time Punjab chief minister) late Parkash Singh Badal, (former chief minister) late Surjit Singh Barnala and former SGPC presidents late Gurcharan Singh Tohra and late Jagdev Singh Talwandi, Sukhbir said that there 'was and cannot be any comparison between veteran Akali leadership and the current one.' 'These veterans including Wadde Badal saab (Parkash Singh Badal), Talwandi, Barnala, Tohra, Dhindsa lived and died for the panth and Punjab. They served people for their entire lives. Being a regional party, Akali Dal had to undergo several challenges and struggles and these veterans endured everything for the sake of Punjab and people. They were jailed, they led agitations for Punjab's rights. My father served people for over 70 years while others also did for 50-60 years. They never cared for their personal lives and families. The passion they had to serve people is largely missing in today's leadership. We need to learn a lot from their lives and sacrifices,' said Sukhbir. Sukhbir said that just a few days ago he had met Dhindsa, and he too had expressed his wish to see Akali Dal united. 'Even then he told me that 'Sukhbir, please unite our party, our panth.' Only then we can serve people. For the sake of Punjab, he wanted to see Akali Dal united,' said Sukhbir. Dhindsa's son and Punjab's former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said that his father loved every party worker like his own child. Among other senior politicians who attended Dhindsa's prayer meet were Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, BJP's national general secretary Tarun Chugh, Congress's Leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress's Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, AAP's Sangrur MP Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, AAP state president Aman Arora among others. However, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann did not attend Dhindsa's prayer meet. He sent a condolence message saying that Akali veteran's passing was a big loss for Punjab and his contribution as union minister of sports will always be remembered. Divya Goyal is a Principal Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Punjab. Her interest lies in exploring both news and feature stories, with an effort to reflect human interest at the heart of each piece. She writes on gender issues, education, politics, Sikh diaspora, heritage, the Partition among other subjects. She has also extensively covered issues of minority communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also explores the legacy of India's partition and distinct stories from both West and East Punjab. She is a gold medalist from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, the most revered government institute for media studies in India, from where she pursued English Journalism (Print). Her research work on 'Role of micro-blogging platform Twitter in content generation in newspapers' had won accolades at IIMC. She had started her career in print journalism with Hindustan Times before switching to The Indian Express in 2012. Her investigative report in 2019 on gender disparity while treating women drug addicts in Punjab won her the Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2020. She won another Laadli for her ground report on the struggle of two girls who ride a boat to reach their school in the border village of Punjab. ... Read More
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
"True leadership is possible only by connecting with public": CM Dhami
Haridwar (Uttarakhand) [India], June 9 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took part in a roadshow and Jan Samvad programme in Libbarheri, Haridwar district, reaffirming that his political approach is grounded in his strong connection with the people and the land. During the visit, CM Dhami addressed the public from the stage and also drove a tractor, expressing his gratitude towards the state's farmers. According to the release statement, the Chief Minister stepped down from the traditional stage and took over the tractor's steering, and a wave of enthusiasm rippled through the crowd. 'Farmers are the backbone of our country.' CM Dhami remarked. 'When I drive a tractor, it is not just a drive but a small effort to salute the hard work of our Annadata brothers. This scene made it clear that the Chief Minister's leadership is not limited to schemes and announcements; getting down on the ground and becoming a participant is an integral part of his style,' he added. The primary purpose of CM Dhami's visit to Libbarheri was to thank the public for their support of the recently implemented Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand and to convey the importance of this historic law to the public. 'UCC is neither against any religion nor any class. It is the basic foundation of equality, justice and transparency. This is the same dream that Baba Saheb Dr. Ambedkar had seen at the time of drafting the Constitution. This law will prove to be a milestone in the direction of unity, brotherhood and equal rights of citizens of the state,' Dhami said. During the program, the Chief Minister also mentioned various public welfare schemes of the state government, which include technical training for modern farming for farmers, startup schemes for young entrepreneurs, expansion of irrigation facilities, and upgradation of roads and health services. He said, 'Our goal is not just to do development but to take development to every village and every person.' This visit to Libbarheri proved that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's leadership is not limited to administrative boundaries. He is a public leader who not only listens but also participates on the ground. Be it a tractor ride or a public dialogue on the Uniform Civil Code, every aspect shows that Uttarakhand is moving towards a new era, where development and sensitivity go hand in hand. (ANI)
