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Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Will Manmohan Singh outweigh Congress? Behind SGPC decision to put on hold former PM's portrait
The dilemma of Sikh politics when it comes to the Congress has come to the fore again with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) putting on hold its decision to install a portrait of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the Central Sikh Museum at the Golden Temple. The museum houses portraits of all well-known Sikhs since the Sikh Guru period. The SGPC's rethink followed objections by Balwant Singh Rajoana, a convict on death row for the assassination of then Congress Chief Minister Beant Singh. In a letter, Rajoana termed the SGPC's move 'inappropriate and unacceptable', while harking to the Congress government's role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A wary SGPC showed little delay in heeding Rajona's appeal given Sikh sentiments around the Congress's role both in the riots and in the Operation Blue Star that preceded it, when the Army had entered Golden Temple to flush out militants holed in the shrine, under the Indira Gandhi-led Central government. In 1992, in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the SAD had stayed away from the elections in response to a boycott call by Sikh militants. He was killed in 1995. While the anger against the Congress meant that in 2002, the Golden Temple management had denied Amarinder Singh due honour when he visited the shrine for the first time as CM following the Congress's victory in the Assembly polls, the SGPC had been kinder towards Manmohan Singh. When Manmohan Singh became PM for the first time in 2004, Parkash Badal, the patriarch of the Shiromani Akali Dal – which controls the SGPC – had accompanied him to the Golden Temple, and ensured he was accorded a proper welcome. On August 11, 2005, addressing the Rajya Sabha, Manmohan Singh apologised for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Before that, no Congress leader of import had done so, with the fact that Manmohan Singh was a Sikh adding more import to his apology. 'I have no hesitation in apologising to the Sikh community. I apologise not only to the Sikh community, but to the whole Indian nation because what took place in 1984 is the negation of the concept of nationhood enshrined in our Constitution,' Manmohan Singh said. After Manmohan Singh passed away in December last year, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal had slammed the BJP-led NDA government over confusion regarding his funeral. SAD ideologue Harcharan Singh Bains had spoken about how Badal Senior had always enjoyed good relations with Manmohan Singh, despite being critical of the Congress. The Congress has slammed the SGPC for going back on its decision to put up Manmohan Singh's portrait. Terming the move 'shameful', former Punjab Deputy CM and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said: 'It was due to Manmohan Singh that the turban was recognised all over the world. Despite comprising just 2% of the country's population, he remained PM for 10 years. Is it not an achievement we should celebrate? We are not doing any justice to Manmohan Singh by holding this decision (of installing the portrait)… Manmohan Singh gave many projects and funds to Punjab. It is up to Sukhbir to tell us why the former PM's portraits must not be installed at the museum.' While other Sikh militants often slam the SAD over a host of issues, Rajoana has always stood firmly behind the party. In 2012, Rajoana hit the headlines after he decided against seeking mercy from the President, in turn garnering sympathy for himself and the SAD, which was helming Punjab at the time. The SAD-BJP government in Punjab then successfully deployed many political and administrative measures to defer Rajoana's hanging. A week before the scheduled hanging, then Jathedar of the Akal Takht Giani Gurbachan Singh, who had conferred the 'Fakhr-e-Quam' title on Badal Senior in 2011, declared Rajoana 'Zinda Shaheed (living martyr)'. The move was seen to have brought Rajoana closer to the SAD and SGPC. Since 2014, Rajoana has openly appealed to the people to vote for the SAD, whose support base has been dwindling since the 2015 sacrilege incidents under its government in Punjab. Reduced to just one seat each in the Punjab Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha, the SAD is looking for a boost from any quarter it can find, and hence it is hard for it to ignore Rajoana's demands which appeal to a section of its Panthic base. Following Rajoana's letter, SGPC secretary Partap Singh said, 'The SGPC respects the sentiments of the Sikh community and believes that a general consensus among Sikhs is essential on this matter. A decision regarding the portrait will be reconsidered in a future meeting of the Executive Committee.' Bains said the SGPC was the only competent body to take a call on the proposal. 'In my personal opinion, there is nothing personal in the matter as Rajoana's sentiment concerns the anti-Sikh role played by the party which Manmohan Singh represented,' he said.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SAD faction rumoured to back Balwant Singh Rajoana as Jathedar, while Sarbat Khalsa backs Jagtar Singh Hawara
AMRITSAR: There have been widespread rumours suggesting that a faction within the (SAD) is actively promoting the idea of appointing Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted for his alleged involvement in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh and is currently incarcerated at Central Jail, Patiala, as the Jathedar of Akal Takht even as the organisers of the Sarbat Khalsa, who appointed Jagtar Singh Hawara—the alleged mastermind behind Beant Singh's assassination and currently held in Tihar Jail—are reportedly advocating for the acceptance of Hawara as the Jathedar of Akal Takht by the SAD. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Bhai Balwant Singh Gopala, former President of the Sikh Youth Federation, Bhinderanwala, said that Balwant Singh Rajoana has consistently been expressing support for the SAD and praised the leadership of the Badal family. Given Rajoana's longstanding alignment with SAD, Gopala said that it would not come as a surprise if he were appointed to the prestigious position of Jathedar of Akal Takht, especially considering that the SAD holds a majority in the General House of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which announces such decisions. In 2022, the SAD president had announced Kamaldeep Kaur Rajoana, sister of Balwant Singh Rajoana as joint candidate of SAD-BSP and all Panthic organizations for Sangruru Lok Sabha by elections. However, Gopala also emphasised that while Rajoana's appointment as Jathedar of Akal Takht is not a certainty, the possibility remains, particularly in light of opposition to the current officiating Jathedar, Bhai Kuldeep Singh Gargaj. He speculated that, in the future, a permanent Jathedar of Akal Takht might be appoint in a manner similar to how Gargaj serves as the Jathedar of Takht Kesgarh Sahib. "The narrative being made about Rajoana could be a tactic to gauge the panthic mood," he said. The credence to the closeness of Rajoana with the Badals and his influence in a section of SAD is evident from the decision taken by SGPC on Friday after it decided to temporarily defer the matter of displaying a portrait of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the Central Sikh Museum—after Rajoana wrote a two-page letter raising objections to SGPC's decision of displaying Manmohan Singh's portrain to the SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami from Central Jail, Patiala on May 14. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now SGPC Secretary Partap Singh informed that the SGPC's Executive Committee approved the installation of Dr Manmohan Singh's portrait in the Central Sikh Museum in the recent past, but following the objections raised by various groups, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami has ordered the matter to be put on hold for the time being. However, he didn't inform about the persons or the organisations who objected to the SGPC's decision on the portrait. "SGPC respects the sentiments of the Sikh community and believes that a general consensus among Sikhs is essential on this matter," he said, adding that the decision regarding the portrait will be reconsidered in a future meeting of the Executive Committee. Meanwhile, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, the chief organiser of the 2015 Sarbat Khalsa that appointed Jagtar Singh Hawara as Jathedar of Akal Takht, has urged those opposing Hawara's appointment to recognise the legitimacy of a Jathedar chosen by the Sangat rather than by political parties or religious groups. "The time has come for all to acknowledge the authority of a Jathedar appointed by the people, not by external influences," Sakhira said. He further criticised the current officiating Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, claiming that he lacks widespread acceptance among the Sikh community. Sakhira also pointed out that the family of Bhai Amrik Singh, the late President of the All India Sikh Students Federation who died during Operation Bluestar, informed the Sarbat Khalsa organisers that they will not accept siropas (robes of honour) from Giani Gargaj during an upcoming ceremony scheduled for June 6 to mark the Operation Bluestar anniversary.
New Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
SGPC puts on hold decision to display ex-PM Manmohan Singh's portrait in museum at Golden Temple
CHANDIGARH: In a fresh controversy, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday decided to put on hold its decision to display a portrait of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the Central Sikh Museum at the Golden Temple complex. This comes after Balwant Singh Rajoana, who is currently in a Patiala jail after being convicted for the assassination of then Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, objected to the move in a letter. SGPC Secretary Partap Singh said that in the recent meeting of the executive committee of the SGPC, the installation of Dr Manmohan Singh's portrait in the Central Sikh Museum was approved. "However, following objections raised by various groups, SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami has ordered the matter to be put on hold for the time being," he said, adding that the SGPC respects the sentiments of the Sikh community and believes that a general consensus is essential on the matter. He further said the decision regarding the portrait will be reconsidered in a future meeting of the executive committee. In his letter addressed to the SGPC, Rajoana expressed his opposition to the move, stating that Dr Manmohan Singh during his tenure as Prime Minister represented a political party that he termed responsible for atrocities against Sikhs.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SGPC to soon decide on Balwant Singh Rajoana's mercy petition
Amritsar : The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee ( SGPC ) on Tuesday announced that it would soon decide on the mercy petition of Balwant Singh Rajoana , who is languishing in jail after being convicted for his role in the assassination of former chief minister of Punjab Beant president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who chaired a meeting of the executive committee on Tuesday, said they discussed the three-page letter written by Rajoana to the SGPC chief. In the letter, Rajoana highlighted the alleged discrimination towards the Sikhs and requested the SGPC to withdraw the mercy petition filed on his executive committee also decided to provide Rs 5 lakh aid to the families of the four Sikhs recently killed in an attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district amid the India-Pakistan face the committee approved the display of portraits of Giani Mohan Singh, former head granthi of the Golden Temple; former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh; Baba Inderjit Singh Raqbewale; Baba Bishan Singh (Tarna Dal, Baba Bakala); and SGPC member Randhir Singh Cheema at the Central Sikh 121143060 413 |
