Excommunication issue: Har SGPC appeals for reconsideration

Sikh leaders supporting Haryana SGPC today urged the Akal Takht to reconsider its decision of excommunicating a Haryana minister and two Sikh leaders for "assisting in formation of separate SGPC".
Haryana Finance Minister H S Chattha and Sikh leaders Jagdish Singh Jhinda and Didar Singh Nalvi, were excommunicated from the community by the supreme temporal body of Sikhs - Akal Takht - yesterday.
After a meeting in Kurukshetra, leader of newly-formed Haryana Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Joga Singh, today told reporters that they have urged the Akal Takht to reconsider its decision.
"It was decided to urge the Akal Takht to reconsider its decision," he said.

However, Nalvi and Jhinda did not take part in today's meeting. They were in Kurukshetra and refrained from speaking to the media.
Meanwhile, Avtar Singh Makkar, president of the Amritsar -based Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, strongly condemned Haryana's move of forming a separate body and said the move was Congress' "nefarious design" to "weaken" the community.

The president of SGPC, apex religious body of the Sikhs, was addressing a press conference in Kurukshetra.
Reacting to the passage of bill for a separate SGPC for Haryana by the state Assembly, the SGPC chief said "they have directly challenged the Akal Takht."

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today announced to stage a 'dharna' outside the house of Congress president Sonia Gandhi tomorrow in protest against formation of a separate Gurudwara Committee in Haryana.
SAD Delhi chief Manjit Singh GK, who is also Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president, alleged that the Congress "is bent upon damaging the interests of Sikhs and their religious institutions".