Chandigarh/ Amritsar: In less than three weeks after the conclusion of Sarbat Khalsa 2015, that was held on November 10 at Chabba village, some Sikh bodies are now engaged in war of words over issues related to the event. The battle that is taking place of social media platforms began when the Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar (Mann) criticised the Dal Khalsa over a statement in which the Dal Khalsa had asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) to remove Giani Gurbachan Singh and other two Sikh jathedars who were involved in granting so-called pardon to Dera Sauda Sirsa chief.
Mann Dal chief S. Simranjeet Singh Mann said in a written statement that he was not able to understand that whether the Dal Khalsa want to change the system of political control (via SGPC) over the Akal Takhat Sahib or it aims to save that system? ‘The Dal Khalsa is not supporting the decisions of the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 that has terminated the services of the Jathedars appointed by the SGPC replacing them with the new Jathedars’, S. Mann added.
He alleged that the Dal Khalsa was tending to support the state policy of controlling the Sikh institutions and it should clear its stand on this issue.
He even maintained that the Dal Khalsa leaders had earlier given approval to the decisions taken in the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 by participating in the Sangat and by “responding to the Jaikaras”.
It is notable that the Dal Khasla had announced not to participate in any decision making process related to the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 due to some differences on “ideological aspects” related to the event.
S. Mann’s statement was widely circulated over the social media, especially the Facebook.
A day after S. Mann’s statement, the Dal Khalsa activists also took to the social media to launch their salvos.
An eleven point statement was posted over the Facebook by activists and supporters of the Dal Khalsa which says that the Sarbat Khalsa was not confined to the large gathering of the Sangat rather it was name of the representative gathering of all the Sikh organisations.
The statement alleges that attempts to utilise the uprising against the Beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib to fulfil political motives of some groups was ‘opportunitism’ and the names of Jathedars appointed during the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 were not got approved as per the principles. The statement maintains that there was opposition to those appointments soon after the announcements was made from the stage on Nov. 10.
It also points out that the newly appointed Jatehdar of Takhat Kesgarh Sahib does not accept the fact of Shaheedi of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
It also raises the issue of lack of support to the Band call announced by Bhai Dhian Singh Mand, who was appointed as the acting Jathedar of the Akal Takhat Sahib by the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 besides raising the issue of strikingly opposite positions taken by the organizers of the Sarbat Khalsa on the issue of Khalistan.
“One of the main organisers of the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 is saying that it was a gathering of the Khalistanis while other is saying that the government was wrongfully defaming the Sarbat Khalsa 2015 by attaching the issue of Khalistan with it”, the statement reads.