INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Two days after a meeting between Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami and Union home minister Amit
Shah, the Amritsar administration in AAP-governed Punjab on Monday took the unprecedented step of releasing the copy of a 17-year-old
resolution that prohibits slogans and media interviews in the Golden Temple complex.The resolution, adopted by five Sikh high priests, was
The move has reignited talk around a possible revival of the alliance between SAD and BJP, given that a majority of SGPC members are from
SAD.Sources said there is speculation that with AAP gaining momentum after winning the recent Jalandhar Lok Sabha byelection, the Akali
leadership might have considered reaching out to former ally BJP
In a possible quid pro quo, it is being suggested that BJP could have asked SAD to take measures to curb separatist sentiments emanating
from the Golden Temple.Sources said SAD, in turn, could have used its influence to get a copy of the resolution and letter released to media
to embarrass the Mann government.The resolution, accompanied by an endorsement by Akal Takht former jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti,
on July 18, 2006, explicitly prohibits slogans and interviews at the shrine
The ban does not extend to areas outside the complex.Meanwhile, the district administration on Monday made public a May 15 letter by Jaspal
Singh, personal assistant to Akal Takht officiating jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, asking the SGPC secretary to ensure the implementation of
the directives were implemented
He parried questions on why the district authorities had released the letter.
