As the general house of the Shiromani Gurduara Parbandhak Committee -SGPC, meets to select its forty-second President, the ace thinker and activist urges for an actionable blue-print for Panth-ki-Jit and Sarbat-da-bhala from the new president.

The General House of Shiromani Gurduara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is meeting on 29 November 2017 to elect its next President, Senior Vice President, Junior Vice President, General Secretary and 11 other executive members.

Since 1966, the SAD controls the SGPC, not vice versa as was originally founded in 1920.

The first five SGPC presidents were before the enactment of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, starting with Sunder Singh Majithia.  The longest reign was of Gurcharan Singh Tohra for 27 years, 5 terms, 1973-2004; the longest consecutive term was for 13 years.  The only female president was Jagir Kaur for 2 non-consecutive terms.

“The Sikhs have been suffering from bad political action and reckless inaction. Both mislead and dispirit us. Given the SGPC’s past, that is likely a forlorn hope, but I am more than willing and eager to be surprised by the 42nd president.”

To-date, SGPC has had 41 presidents.  Its 42nd president will preside over its 2017 budget of Rs. 1,106 crores ($171 million USD).

SGPC Presidents after 1966 were reduced to merely SAD’s internal politics, personal aggrandizement, or Indian state politics.  Now, Akalis rarely talk about freedom of any kind, and they are jailed for non-political criminal activities.

For last two decades, almost all SGPC members belongs to one Akali faction called SAD (Badal).  And it is no secret that SGPC president is hand-picked by the SAD president and the name is sent in an envelope to be “elected.”

Current president of SGPC Kirpal Singh Badungar, who is likely to retain his post, has been playing the “Panthic” card recently.  He said SGPC opposes Panjab Control of Organised Crime Act (PCOCA) by the Congress government in the Panjab state because such laws are always used against minorities.  He commented: “This law will create problem for Sikhs, who are a minority. History shows that such laws, including TADA, were misused against minorities, especially Sikhs …  The SGPC will write to the chief minister about it (PCOCA), will meet him, and if need be, will move the court to oppose the law.”

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal has been holding series of meetings with SGPC members from Panjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pardesh, including one-on-one meetings on elections and Panthic concerns.

“We have decided that this ‘Panthic Front’ will keep an eye on the SGPC affairs. It will play its role to improve the state of affairs when dignity and credibility of the pivotal Sikh institutions has been seriously compromised for vested political interests.”

Incumbent Kirpal Singh Badungar, Avtar Singh Makkar and Jagir Kaur, both former presidents of SGPC, religio-political leader Balbir Singh Ghunas, former minister Tota Singh and former MP Sewa Singh Sekhwan are considered to be in the race for the top post. Insiders claim SAD is interested in some religious personality who could coordinate well with the Jathedars of Takhts.

The new Panthic Front led by former General Secretary of SGPC Sukhdev Singh Bhaur with 22 members of the current General House who contested the SGPC polls as the SAD candidates, but left SAD (Badal) are part of this front.  They will add to the existing slim anti-SAD (Badal) presence who are either independent or owe allegiance to other SAD factions.  A day before the election, SAD (Badal) president persuaded 4 of 22 renegade members to join his dominant SAD faction.

“We have decided that this ‘Panthic Front’ will keep an eye on the SGPC affairs. It will play its role to improve the state of affairs when dignity and credibility of the pivotal Sikh institutions has been seriously compromised for vested political interests … The front has been formed according to the sentiments expressed by different Panthic organizations and personalities as the community is concerned about the institutions of Akal Takht, other Takhts and the SGPC,” claimed Bhaur.

The Sikhs have been suffering from bad political action and reckless inaction.  Both mislead and dispirit us.  Given the SGPC’s past, that is likely a forlorn hope, but I am more than willing and eager to be surprised by the 42nd president.

I ask the 42nd President thus:

Dear SGPC President

Vahiguru ji ka Khalsa, Vahiguru ji ji fatih!

We recognize the legal and political manipulations are at work that limit your influence.  But can you please do the following for assuring Panth-ki-Jit:  An actionable blue-print for every Sikh’s birthright to learn Gurmat, the Guru’s Way.  

Can you please do the following for the 7.6 billion people for real Sarbat-da-bhala: An actionable blue-print to make the Guru Granth Sahib’s message accessible to global populations.  Even your bosses shouldn’t have any real issues with both asks.

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Thank you for your consideration from all of us treading a path to be the Sikhs of the Guru.

Satigur Rakha!