Sgpc Chief Makes Hat-trick

[B4ND4]

SGPC chief makes hat-trick

General house for exemplary punishment to Sarnas

Varinder Walia

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 23

The SAD preferred an urban Sikh, Avtar Singh, to head the SGPC for the third consecutive term. He was today elected with voice vote, without witnessing acrimonious scenes like the previous elections.

After his re-election, Avtar Singh asked the Shiromani members that they should be grateful to “Badal sahib”, who has allowed them to use red beacon on their vehicles, apart from promising them to provide official security guards. He said the government had also promised to give due representation to the SGPC members in various government boards/district-level committees.

The last SGPC chief from urban areas was Master Tara Singh, who ruled the hearts of Sikh masses for more than four decades. After Gurcharan Singh Tohra, the longest reigning ‘Pope’ of the Sikhs for quarter a century, Avtar Singh is the first president who got the coveted post for the third consecutive year.

The election was held at Teja Singh Samundari Hall, near the Golden Temple. His name was proposed by Kirpal Singh Badungar, a former SGPC chief, who himself was in the race for the post. Though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and working president of the SAD Sukhbir Singh Badal left for New Delhi after holding meeting of SGPC members yesterday, adviser to the Chief Minister Daljit Singh Cheema was present here to ensure smooth conduct of the election.

The other office-bearers remained unchanged with Raghujit Singh Virk elected as senior vice-president, Kewal Singh Badal as junior vice-president and Sukhdev Singh Bhaur as general secretary.

Two members of the opposing Akali factions were included in the 11-member executive. The executive members are Suba Singh Dabwali, Sant Tek Singh Dhanola, Rajinder Singh Mehta, Santokh Singh, Gurbachan Singh Karmuwal, Dyal Singh Kolianwali, Surjit Singh Garhi, Harbhajan Kaur, Nirwail Singh Jaula, Karnail Singh Panjoli and Gurwinder Singh Shampura.

Avtar Singh, known as the “yes man” of Badal, thanked the party president, who “blessed” him with the coveted post.

Interestingly, Avtar Singh had dropped his sir name after becoming the SGPC chief, but members, who proposed his name for the presidentship, addressed him as Avtar Singh Makkar. The Sikh clergy has directed the Sikhs not to use their castes with their names.