AMRITSAR: Former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Paramjit S Sarna has written to the Delhi lieutenant governor (LG), to divest Manjinder Singh Sirsa of the powers as the gurdwara body chief and to appoint a financial receiver for handling the Sikh body’s resources. In a letter to Anil Baijal, he alleged, “Sirsa is abusing his powers and gurdwara resources on vested personal and political interests of his own and that of his party members.”
Sarna said that he along with former presidents of DSGMC including Manjit Singh GK and Harvinder Singh Sarna had sought an appointment with Baijal to discuss the issue in detail.
“Sirsa is no longer an elected member of the DSGMC and his nomination by the SGPC was rejected by the Delhi administration’s gurdwara directorate on grounds of his false credentials about his religious and gurmukhi literacy,” Sarna alleged while talking to TOI on Tuesday. Sarna, who is also the president of SAD (Delhi), added that Sirsa had challenged his disqualification in courts and continues to occupy the office of DSGMC president.
Sarna said the SAD (D) had urged Baijal to immediately appoint a financial receiver for day-to-day handling of DSGMC resources and divest Sirsa and his supporters of powers, especially over committee funds, till the court ruling arrives. Sarna claimed, “Our sources have told us in confidence that unaccounted cash donations by the faithful are also being routed to a political party to help them in the ensuing elections in Punjab.”
After losing the DSGMC elections held on August 22, it was decided to co-opt Sirsa in the DSGMC house through the SGPC quota. However, Sirsa was disqualified by the Directorate Gurdwara Elections, New Delhi.
