The Maharashtra government on Tuesday constituted a committee to consult stakeholders from the Sikh community on the proposed Sri Hazur Sahib Act to govern the affairs of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib Gurudwara Nanded.
Senior BJP leader RP Singh, who, along with Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon, engaged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the matter, welcomed the move.
The committee consists of Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), Divisional Commissioner, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Collector Nanded, Deputy Secretary (Revenue), and Deputy Collector, Nanded and it will invite the Sikh clergy and other community leaders and stakeholders to put forth their views on the issue.
RP Singh on Tuesday urged SGPC, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Takht Sri Patna Sahib Management Committee, Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, and all Sikh Jathebandis to proactively submit their suggestions so that every stakeholder’s voice is heard and a broad consensus can be achieved.
“I also request CM Fadnavis that while reconstituting the Board will take time, the Government must retain its vision for the proposed mega rejuvenation plan for the Takht Hazur Sahib complex on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor and Mahakal Lok, Ujjain," RP Singh said.
The committee has been formed after BJP leaders from Punjab and Delhi flagged problems with the controversial Maharashtra government’s decision to repeal the Nanded Sikh Gurdwara Sachkhand Sri Hazur Sahib Abchalnagar Sahib Act 1956 and replace it with a new law called Takht Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib Gurdwara Act.
The state’s move triggered major anxieties across the Sikh community, with the Maharashtra government placing trhe controversial draft law on hold and promising a panel to discuss the issue threadbare.
Caretakers of Takht Sri Hazur Sahib had recently asserted religious autonomy and issued a gurmata (collective religious edict) rejecting the Maharashtra government’s repeal proposal.
The gurmata is a binding, collective decision taken in the name of the Guru. It was read out by Singh Sahib Giani Ram Singh in the presence of Takht Jathedar Giani Kulwant Singh of Takth Sri Hazur Sahib.
