Jalandhar, Punjab (May 16, 2012): Dal Khalsa favours separate marriage act and personal law for Sikhs on the pattern of Muslims having their own in India.
Party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh in a statement said its fact that that amendments being made in the Anand Marriage Act-1909 was unsatisfactory and insufficient. Since long, the Sikhs have been struggling to get constitutional recognition as a separate religion and quam. But ironically the successive Union governments including the SAD’s alliance partner BJP, has always ridiculed this very fundamental right of the community.
However he reminded that the Sikhs have a historical tendency to act first and think later and the present day Sikh leaders were its classic example.
Commenting on the proceedings of seminar organized by the Chief Khalsa Deewan in which the speakers rejected the amendment bill, he wondered why Akali MP’s and Jathedars’ remained silent for long while the Union Cabinet was discussing the amendments.
Why Jathedar Akal Takht and SGPC president Avtar Singh welcomed the amendments without knowing the original text and why they termed it as a “victory” of Panth? Will the Akal Takht now pull up MP Tarlochan Singh for introducing the flawed and improper bill in the Rajya Sabha?
Jathedar Gaini Gubachan Singh has made the situation more confusing and complicated by asking the Sikh Panth to discuss the Sikh Marriage Act-2012 threadbare on one hand, while he has not directed Tarlochan Singh to withdraw the bill favouring amendments to Act-1909 from the Rajya Sabha. He urged the Jathedar Akal Takht to first clear the mess and put the (Sikh) house in order.
“Though Sikh Rehat Maryada is silent on divorce as the practice is in contrast to Sikh philosophy but harsh reality is that like other communities, this social problem has crept up into the lives of Sikhs too. Sikhs can’t afford to leave this social problem unaddressed”, he pointed out.