Former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh today spoke out in favour of a separate Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSPGC). He asserted that Haryana had every right to implement a separate Gurudwara committee.
Singh also made it clear that if Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal has any problems with this, then he should seek redressal from the courts.
Singh told ANI, "Haryana has every right to implement an Act, because under the organization of states which took place in 1966, every state can decide on its own as to what law it should enact. One of the issues left to the states was to decide on the gurudwaras. And once a law is enacted, it would be accepted by all."
"They have enacted a Haryana Gurudwara Act and that is now law. If Mr Badal doesn't like it, then it's too bad. Let him go to the courts."
Earlier today, Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Avtar Singh Makkar had stated that the government of Haryana should not take any decision that would affect law and order in the state.
"The Haryana Government should take the right decision. It should not take any decision affecting the law and order situation in Haryana. Any disturbance will be attributed to them. The act to regulate gurudwaras was passed as a money bill. It means that the government will run the gurudwaras. That is why we have requested the central government to interfere in the matter," Makkar had said.
Yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over bifurcation of the SGPC.
The Haryana Assembly passed a bill last week for a separate Haryana Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (HSGPC), which would be set up to manage gurudwaras in the state.