With two weeks to go for the general elections to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee -DSGMC, scheduled for 22 August, apolitical activists of The Sikh Forum, expressing concerns at the management of Sikh affairs in Delhi, have delineated a broad agenda and appealed to enlisted Delhi Sikh voters to participate overwhelmingly in the forthcoming polls. WSN Delhi Desk’s Gurmeet Singh reports.

EXPRESSING DEEP CONCERN at the unprecedented stalemate in Delhi Sikh affairs as parties contesting DSGMC elections continue to indulge in mudslinging, blame games and unparliamentary language both offline and through social media channels, the Sikh Forum has appealed for calm and an agenda-based fight to choose selfless service-minded leaders to govern the affairs of the body.

Declaring itself to be a watchdog for the ensuing elections, The Sikh Forum has said that it would “oversee and monitor any visible glaring violation or wrongdoing by anyone… in the larger interest of the community.”

Calling the forthcoming elections to be “the final opportunity for the current contestants to display their leadership and vision for the future of the Khalsa Panth,” the Sikh Forum has made a fervent appeal to the Sikhs of Delhi to vote judiciously and in large numbers for candidates with a clear record, integrity and a missionary zeal for selfless service. 

The Sikh Forum has said that it would “oversee and monitor any visible glaring violation or wrongdoing by anyone… in the larger interest of the community.”

The body of former defence personnel, bureaucrats, professionals and academicians, has however refrained from endorsing any particular group or candidate.  

Acting President Ravinder Singh Ahuja and general Secretary Partap Singh, in a press release, have urged one and all to stop un-Sikh like acts and behaviour and present a time-bound achievable agenda. They also asked, “religio-political leaders to present plans and policies to be executed to improve gurdwara management, education and financial management.”  

A nine-point program of reforms has been presented to include safeguarding finances through transparency on golakh management, proper accounting for all receivables -cash or kind, online or offline, due process for budgeting and its execution and computerisation of data.

Focussing on the need for quantum change in the skill sets of DSGMC staff in Gurdwaras, The Sikh Forum urged parties contesting the elections to work for “the needs of education, living standards, counselling, skill development of the sevadars working in the gurdwara committee and to develop accountability and responsibility in their performance.”

The Sikh Forum urged parties contesting the elections to work for “the needs of education, living standards, counselling, skill development of the sevadars working in the gurdwara committee and to develop accountability and responsibility in their performance.”

General Secretary DIG Police (Retd.) Partap Singh emphasized that there was an urgent need for the formulation of written Standard Operating Procedures for the training of religious and other staff members working under the committee.  

A special appeal has been made for Gurmat training and community building of the forgotten brethren like Sikligars, Vanjaras and Lobanas. 

It has been observed that the Standard Operating Procedures in the Rules under the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act 1971 for financial functioning are not followed in letter and spirit as it is clear from recent developments. This has resulted in innumerable court cases and dirty linen being washed in public. 

The management of schools under the DSGMC has been the talk of the town as the educational standards of the once-popular and productive Guru Harkrishan Sahib Public Schools has gone from bad to worse. Sikh Forum sought “special focus on the qualitative and quantitative output of schools with a focus on the performance of teachers, better infrastructure and facilities and use of modern technology to empower all sections involved in the educational process.”

There is a dire need for The Sikh Forum and other independent bodies in Delhi to maintain consistency in their role as watchdogs for the Sikh Sangat, which is already fed up with the ongoings of the DSGMC.