Sgpc President - Makkar Set To Be Elected For 7Th Time

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Makkar to be back as SGPC chief

Naveen S Garewal/TNS

Chandigarh, September 21

Avtar Singh Makkar is set to be the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the seventh time. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) that swept the SGPC poll in alliance with the Sant Samaj has decided not to make any change at the top in the apex body of the Sikhs.

Highly placed sources told The Tribune that contrary to speculations about a change in the president of the SGPC, the party had decided to repeat Makkar who remained by and large acceptable and non-controversial even after serving the mini parliament of the Sikhs for six terms. This puts to an end the suspense over the change in guards.

Although the election results were declared on the day of the polling (September 18), the Gurdwara Election Commission (GEC) would officially notify these on Thursday. After the notification, the same would be conveyed to the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, who would then invite all elected members to the SGPC headquarters.

According to sources in the SAD, despite the victory of many stalwarts and past presidents in the recently held poll, there was never any serious thinking about a change. It was earlier stated that the possibility of Tota Singh, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Sucha Singh Langha, Kiranjot Kaur and Sewa Singh Sekhwan of heading the SGPC could not be ruled out.

As per the procedure laid down in the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, the first meeting of the SGPC will be presided over by the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, who will register all the newly elected members and constitute the general house of the SGPC. The Jathedars of the five Takhts and the Head Granthi of the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) would also be part of the general house as its ex-officio members.

The general house will have 191 members, including 170 members elected by Keshdhari voters and six ex-officio members. The remaining 15 members will be co-opted by the elected members before the election of the president.

Once the SAD leadership, led by its president, makes its opinion known to the newly elected members of the SGPC, it is expected that Makkar will be elected unopposed. The SAD leadership has in the past thrown up surprises while electing the president, but sources in the party said this time, the decision was left to the top echelons, who decided to give Makkar yet another go.

Makkar, a Badal family loyalist, hails from Ludhiana and is seen as an urban face of the Sikhs. After the last elections, SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal had promoted Makkar to counter the growing influence of pro-Congress Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee (DGMC) leader Paramjit Singh Sarna among urban Sikhs.

www.tribuneindia.com

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Has Avtar Singh Makkar been so good that he deserves to elected for the 7th time in a row? No other president in history of SGPC has been selected 7 times in a row. Does Avtar Singh have a high moral character, good Gursikhi jeevan (amritvela, kakars etc) and very good knowledge of sikh history and Gurmat?

For me, the SGPC president should have a good gursikhi jeevan ie amritvela, kakars, abstain from 4 bujjer kurehits etc. He/she should also be very knowledgable in terms of Gurmat and Sikh history, after all SGPC is highest gurdwara committee for Sikh Panth.

SGPC should be producing good modern Gurmat literature that can inspire the youth towards Sikhi, it should also be promoting, re-printing, translating historical granths such as panth parkash, suraj parkash etc. It should be producing good parcharaks to combat beadbi of kesh, intoxicants in Panjab. It should be producing good granthi's, sevadaars to do seva in various gurdawaras around Panjab. it should be preserving our most sacred historical gurdawaras in India..................................................

Being president of SGPC is a huge responsibility and therefore requires a leader of high Gursikhi character and knowledge. The president should be elected by the Sikh panth worldwide and not selected by a single party or person. Also the president shuld not support any politcal party or leader. The leaders main responsibility is to serve the Sikh panth.

Rabb Rakhe