Longowal re-appointed as SGPC president
Chandigarh, November 28 (H.S.): Gobind Singh Longowal was unanimously re-elected Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president at the apex gurudwara body’s annual election on Wednesday afternoon.
Longowal was expected to retain the post as he enjoys the blessings of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal who controls the body that manages the affairs of historic Sikh shrines in north India.
Rajinder Singh Mehta was elected senior vice-president; Gurbaksh Singh junior vice-president; and Harjinder Singh Dhami general secretary.
SGPC general house passed a resolution condemning the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in the Ayodhya Ram Janmbhoomi (birthplace) case. In its verdict on November 9, the apex court ruled that a temple be constructed for Hindus on a 2.77-acre site in Ayodhya, while Muslims be given five acres of an alternative land to build a potential mosque.
Meanwhile, 10 opposition members walked out of the meeting to register their protest on the handling of the sacrilege incidents of 2015. Former Akali MLA, Longowal was first elected as SGPC president in 2017, succeeding Kirpal Singh Badungar.
A low-profile and humble face of the party, he poses no challenge to the authority of the Badal family at the helm of the Akali Dal.
He is a convenient choice of the SAD chief at a time when the party faces backlash from the Sikh community over the sacrilege incidents that triggered a revolt in the Panthic outfit, leading to formation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) led by then Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahampura.
