Amritsar, Punjab: Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC)’s move to appoint a chief secretary has invited criticism from various quarters. As per information the Indian government’s Ministry of Home Affairs has questioned the SGPC over the controversial move.
The Undersecretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, has written a letter (dated July 1, 2015 bearing no. 17014/17/2015-15.VII) to the SGPC asking it to submit a reply over the matter by July 15. A copy of this letter has also been dispatched to the Secretary, Punjab government.
A file photo of a meeting of SGPC executive | image used for representational purpose only
According to The Tribune (TT) the development followed a complaint by the SAD (1920), headed by Ravi Inder Singh. The party had approached the President and the Prime Minister contesting that norms had been violated by the SGPC to create a permanent chair of chief secretary at a hefty package of Rs3 lakh per month due to political will. The President’s Secretariat then asked the Union Home ministry to initiate appropriate action.
In his complaint, SAD (1920) president Ravi Inder Singh stated: “The proposed appointment is unconstitutional. It is being done at the behest of the state government with a view to grab SGPC’s funds to promote their political interests.”
While confirming the receipt of notice from the Government of India, the SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said that SGPC would seek legal opinion before submitting a reply.
“The appointment is being made to run the administrative affairs in a more efficient manner. The decision was taken by the executive committee of the SGPC,” he said.