Amritsar, December 3, 2025 (Bharat Khabarnama Bureau) : The Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjeet), a breakaway faction of the Sukhbir Singh Badal–led Shiromani Akali Dal, on Tuesday demanded that the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) be brought under the administrative control of the Punjab government. Party president Giani Harpreet Singh, former acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, said the pre-1947 arrangement of state oversight of gurdwara management should be restored. He was speaking after inaugurating the party’s head office in Amritsar.
Addressing reporters, Giani Harpreet Singh said the time had come to “liberate the SGPC” from what he described as the tight hold of the Badal-led SAD. He alleged that the Central government was indirectly shielding the Badal faction by delaying the SGPC general elections, which he termed an unwarranted intervention in Sikh religious affairs. “Despite the creation of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) in 2014, representatives from Haryana continue to occupy influential positions in the SGPC, which raises fresh questions about autonomy and accountability,” he said.
He added that his party’s broader agenda was to restore peace and public confidence in Punjab. He vowed that the organisation would work to curb gang violence, dismantle drug networks and push for stronger institutional safeguards in religious bodies. He also said the state government must take a more active role in ensuring transparency in gurdwara administration and protecting community institutions from political capture. In addition he reiterated that the party will contest the upcoming zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections. “After a collective decision by the entire leadership, it has been decided that the party will contest the upcoming elections”, he added.
Senior leaders present at the event included former SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, Gurpratap Singh Wadala, Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Prem Singh Chandumajra. They echoed the president’s call for early SGPC elections and reforms to strengthen the functioning of Sikh religious institutions.
