Are the Sikhs ready to manage their own religious affairs or should they always depend on the “monkey in the middle”?

Few would argue against the proposition that Sikh affairs should be managed uniformly in accordance with Sikh tenets and through a unified management structure.

Therefore, as requested by the Sikhs themselves, a draft of the All-India Gurdwara Bill was circulated by the Indian Government for comments to “Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and West Bengal”.  This was confirmed by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken. Speaking to the Parliament on 14 July, 2009.  However, the government has no intention of introducing the Bill due to “lack of “unanimity on the issue and no consensus among the stake holders (the various states)”.  That simply  means that, as would have been expected by the government, no agreement amongst the Sikh bodies. Reminds me of the Panjabi saying, “Dubbi taa(n) je sah na aaya” i.e. “She drowned because she could not breath” – said when the obvious happens!  The minister was replying to a question by Sukhdev Singh Libra, Congress MP from Fatehgarh Sahib.  There is no reason why the government should (be expected to) promote Sikh organisation or unity in religious matters.

The reaction in the Sikh diaspora has been mixed.  Let us be clear at the outset.  To quote Jagpal Singh Tiwana on Gurmat Learnin Zone (GLZ), “As far as I know all amendments in the Gurdwara Act have been sought by Sikh bodies themselves and GOI  [Government of India] acted according to their wishes. There is an understanding between GOI and Sikhs that a new act or amendment will be made if initiated or demanded by the Sikhs.”  True, but that does not answer the question why the Sikhs should depend on the GOI for urgently needed reforms in the Management of Sikh affairs.

According to a report in The Tribune of 15 July, “Sikhs have been demanding that there should be one Act to govern the affairs of the Sikhs across the country. At present, several Gurdwaras are running independent of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The body is like a mini-Parliament for the Sikhs. It has its own budget. The SGPC has been up in arms against mushrooming of Gurdwaras against its edict and against various principles and tenets laid down in Sikhism.”  That makes eminent sense. 

However, it makes no sense why the government of a secular independent country should be involved in the affairs of a world religion. Writes Dr I J Singh, “Can you find another religion where its fundamentals are debated by legislative bodies consisting of non-believers of that faith or decided by a judiciary of non-believers?......Now we need to create our own ecclesiastical system of justice and self-governance for our institutions. What our attitude indicates is that we have neither the means nor the sense to resolve our own issues and that we need a monkey in the middle. How unfortunate.”  And Prof Nirmal Singh of USA supports, “We have to get out of our dependency on using legislative measures and courts to manage our internal Sikh issues.”

It seems, the Sikh intelligentsia are looking at two sides of the same coin.  One group are looking at ground realities whilst the other are justifiably frustrated that of all world religions only Sikhs have to rely on legislation in India, and courts in the diaspora countries, to sort out Sikh religious disputes and even to interpret Sikh tenets.  It is time that “the monkey in the middle” is given the sack!