1 week Ago
Nearly five years after the Akal Takht asked Sikhs to boycott the discourses of preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale for his controversial utterances on the Sikh principles and traditions, incumbent acting jathedar of the highest Sikh temporal seat Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Monday invited him to rejoin the Sikh fold by appearing before the Takht with clarification. On August 24, 2020, the then Sikh clergy directed the community to boycott his discourses until he does not appear before it to apologize for his remarks termed as “objectionable” by a considerable section of the Sikhs, considering the report of the sub-committee constituted to probe the statements of Dhadrianwale, who has considerable following in Malwa region. “The community is directed to not organize his congregation, listen to him and share his video on social media, until he does not apologize appearing at Akal Takht for his objectionable remarks,” reads the edict of the Sikh clergy.
Responding to a media query, Giani Gargaj called upon the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Damdami Taksal, Nihang bodies, Sikh organisations, missionary colleges, institutions, and preachers to move forward unitedly to strengthen the campaign for preaching the Sikh faith. He extended an invitation to Dhadrianwale and other Sikh personalities, whose cases are currently pending at Sri Akal Takht, to present their clarification so that unity can be established and religious conversions in Punjab can be curbed while intensifying the Sikh religious preaching campaign. His statement came a day after Dhadrianwale visited Nadala (Kapurthala) to inaugurate a branch of his organization and hailed the drive launched by Giani Gargaj to counter religious conversion in the presence of rebel Akali leader and former SGPC president Jagir Kaur.
Additionally, the acting jathedar announced that a special gathering under the patronage of Akal Takht has been convened on May 2 to discuss the matter of films and animated movies made on the Sikh Gurus, their family members, historical Sikh warriors/martyrs, and various aspects of Sikh history. He noted that the Sikh community often expresses concern over such portrayals and that these issues evoke emotions and discontent within the panth whenever they arise. Replying to a query regarding opposition being registered by Damdami Taksal and other bodies to the removal of previous jathedars and appointment of new jathedars, he said, “They are opposing the system, not me “.
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