Latest news with #Jathedars


The Print
16 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
SGPC hits back after Punjab CM Mann says Akalis reduced it to ‘Shiromani Golak' committee
The remarks not only reflect Mann's 'intellectual bankruptcy, but also exposes his arrogance and shallow understanding', Dhami said. Condemning Mann for his remarks, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami called them 'baseless, deeply hurtful to Sikh sentiments, and a blatant insult to the Sikh Panth's highest religious institution'. Amritsar, June 8 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused Akali leaders of reducing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to 'Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee out of their greed for money'. Addressing a public gathering here, Mann alleged that the Badals 'misused' their political power to interfere in religious affairs, including 'manipulating the appointment of Jathedars of the Akal Takht to suit their personal interests'. 'Driven by financial motives, the Akalis have degraded the sanctity of the SGPC and misused it and the Akal Takht for narrow political gains,' Mann alleged. The chief minister also accused the Akali leaders of twisting the directives of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to 'deceive the public and serve their own agendas'. 'The Akalis looted not only the state exchequer but also funds belonging to religious institutions. Its tenure was marked by political and religious exploitation, which caused significant harm to Punjab,' Mann said. 'The Akali leadership symbolised a legacy where the poor were neglected while the powerful looted the state with impunity,' he added. The Akalis 'exploited' the underprivileged and weaker sections of society, Mann alleged, adding that 'they are now facing the consequences of their actions'. Mann also claimed that the people of Punjab will never forgive the Akalis for the 'crimes' committed against the state and its residents. Assailing the traditional political parties for remaining 'insensitive' towards the welfare of economically weaker and underprivileged sections, Mann said these 'selfish' leaders always treated the Schedule Caste (SC) brethren merely as their vote banks. 'As rulers, the Akalis were completely insensitive towards the problems of the common man. They always treated the SC community as vote banks,' Mann claimed. Training his guns at his predecessors, the chief minister claimed they built huge palaces by 'amassing whopping wealth by misusing their official positions'. 'The Akali leaders remained inaccessible to the people due to which they were ousted,' Mann said. PTI COR CHS ARI This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.


Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SGPC hits back after Punjab CM Mann says Akalis reduced it to 'Shiromani Golak' committee
Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused Akali leaders of reducing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to 'Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee out of their greed for money'. Condemning Mann for his remarks, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami called them 'baseless, deeply hurtful to Sikh sentiments, and a blatant insult to the Sikh Panth's highest religious institution'. The remarks not only reflect Mann's "intellectual bankruptcy, but also exposes his arrogance and shallow understanding', Dhami said. Addressing a public gathering here, Mann alleged that the Badals "misused" their political power to interfere in religious affairs, including "manipulating the appointment of Jathedars of the Akal Takht to suit their personal interests". 'Driven by financial motives, the Akalis have degraded the sanctity of the SGPC and misused it and the Akal Takht for narrow political gains," Mann alleged. The chief minister also accused the Akali leaders of twisting the directives of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to "deceive the public and serve their own agendas'. 'The Akalis looted not only the state exchequer but also funds belonging to religious institutions. Its tenure was marked by political and religious exploitation, which caused significant harm to Punjab,' Mann said. 'The Akali leadership symbolised a legacy where the poor were neglected while the powerful looted the state with impunity,' he added. The Akalis "exploited" the underprivileged and weaker sections of society, Mann alleged, adding that 'they are now facing the consequences of their actions'. Mann also claimed that the people of Punjab will never forgive the Akalis for the "crimes" committed against the state and its residents. Assailing the traditional political parties for remaining "insensitive" towards the welfare of economically weaker and underprivileged sections, Mann said these "selfish" leaders always treated the Schedule Caste brethren merely as their vote banks. 'As rulers, the Akalis were completely insensitive towards the problems of the common man. They always treated the SC community as vote banks,' Mann claimed. Training his guns at his predecessors, the chief minister claimed they built huge palaces by "amassing whopping wealth by misusing their official positions". 'The Akali leaders remained inaccessible to the people due to which they were ousted,' Mann said.


Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Akalis reduced SGPC to 'Shiromani Golak' committee: Punjab CM Mann
Amritsar, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused Akali leaders of reducing the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to 'Shiromani Golak Parbandhak Committee out of their greed for money'. Addressing a public gathering here, Mann alleged that the Badals "misused" their political power to interfere in religious affairs, including "manipulating the appointment of Jathedars of the Akal Takht to suit their personal interests". 'Driven by financial motives, the Akalis have degraded the sanctity of the SGPC and misused it and the Akal Takht for narrow political gains," Mann alleged. The chief minister also accused the Akali leaders of twisting the directives of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, to "deceive the public and serve their own agendas'. 'The Akalis looted not only the state exchequer but also funds belonging to religious institutions. Its tenure was marked by political and religious exploitation, which caused significant harm to Punjab,' Mann said. 'The Akali leadership symbolised a legacy where the poor were neglected while the powerful looted the state with impunity,' he added. The Akalis "exploited" the underprivileged and weaker sections of society, Mann alleged, adding that 'they are now facing the consequences of their actions'. Mann also claimed that the people of Punjab will never forgive the Akalis for the "crimes" committed against the state and its residents. Assailing the traditional political parties for remaining "insensitive" towards the welfare of economically weaker and underprivileged sections, Mann said these "selfish" leaders always treated the Schedule Caste brethren merely as their vote banks. 'As rulers, the Akalis were completely insensitive towards the problems of the common man. They always treated the SC community as vote banks,' Mann claimed. Training his guns at his predecessors, the chief minister claimed they built huge palaces by "amassing whopping wealth by misusing their official positions". 'The Akali leaders remained inaccessible to the people due to which they were ousted,' Mann said.


Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Former Damdami Taksal spokesperson questions narrative on June 6 Ardas and Jathedar appointment
Amritsar: A war of words has erupted within Sikh religious circles after the Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, was accused of bypassing a long-standing tradition by not delivering the customary June 6 'sandesh' — a formal message to the Sikh community on the anniversary of Operation Bluestar , a 1984 military operation to smoke out holed up terrorists from the Golden Temple. Former Damdami Taksal spokesperson Sarchand Singh has pushed back against attempts by the Akal Takht secretariat and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to suggest that Giani Gargaj's 'sandesh' was embedded within his 'Ardas' (prayer), arguing that this kind of claims reflect a basic misunderstanding of Sikh religious practice. "An Ardas is a humble supplication to the Guru; a 'sandesh' is a directive message to the 'quom' (community)," Sarchand Singh said. "There was nothing new or directive in this year's Ardas compared to previous commemorations. To equate the two is misleading." The criticism follows mounting scrutiny over Giani Gargaj's role and legitimacy. Sarchand Singh expressed dismay that Gargaj — who was declared 'tankhaiya' (guilty of religious misconduct) by the Panj Pyare at Takht Patna Sahib — was given a 'Siropa' (robe of honour) reportedly at the Akal Takht, despite Sikh tradition dictating that a 'tankhaiya' must first complete prescribed penance and receive formal absolution before being honoured at any Takht. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Sarchan Singh said: "Offering a Siropa to someone declared tankhaiya without due absolution sets a dangerous precedent. This violates religious protocol directly." The controversy also reignites long-standing debates over the SGPC's authority to appoint Jathedars. While acknowledging that the SGPC holds administrative power over Takht appointments, Taksal's former spokesperson asserted that this kind of decisions lacked spiritual legitimacy unless endorsed by broader Sikh institutions. He said: "The identity of the Panth cannot be upheld if Sikh sects, Nihang groups, and Sabha societies are excluded from the process. Jathedars are being appointed like SGPC employees, diminishing the stature and sanctity of these positions. The dispute highlights deeper fissures within Sikh religious governance, raising fresh questions about accountability, tradition, and the role of representative consent in decisions affecting the global Sikh community. MSID:: 121695262 413 |