AMRITSAR: A section of Sikhs in Delhi has initiated a dialogue to replace Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) with a board, on the lines of Sri Sachkhand Gurdwara Board, Maharashtra, as they feel elections to the committee have been entrenched in corrupt practices.
DSGMC is set to go to polls on August 22. The group has rooted for the formation of the board, saying the present set of candidates had been responsible for denigration in religious ethics, moral principles, and corrupt political practices.
A majority of candidates has been indulging in corrupt electoral practices, like distribution of liquor, money, household benefits and, in some cases, even use of power to influence voters, said Gurcharan Singh Babbar, president of Delhi-based Sikh NGO All India Sikh Conference (AISC), while talking to TOI on Friday.
He said these ill practices crept up as nominees supported by political parties like SAD, BJP and Congress had been contesting the elections. “This is the reason why a section of Sikhs in Delhi, especially the intellectual class, feels it is best to revert to gurdwara board system and have its administrator to manage the places of worship, education and medical institutions, and root out corrupt practices,” he said.
He said AISC volunteers had launched a campaign in all 46 gurdwara wards of Delhi and came to know that candidates represented by political parties were offering freebies to voters.
“Every night, liquor parties are being held; voters are allured with money, household belongings, and even power is used to create an atmosphere of fear to influence voters’ choice,” he alleged.
DSGMC manages nine historical gurdwaras of Delhi and collects around Rs 200 crore in donations every year.
