Congress leader Amarinder Singh blames Punjab SM Parkash Singh Badal for confrontation in Haryana gurdwaras

Senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh today held Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal responsible for Wednesday's clashes between Sikhs and policemen and alleged that the SAD patron was behaving like a "modern day mahant" who does not want to lose control of gurdwaras.

In a statement issued in Chandigarh, Amarinder said he was feeling "pained and disappointed" over the scenes outside some historic gurdwaras in Haryana, where the newly constituted Haryana SGMC wants to take over the affairs but was being resisted by the Amritsar-based SGPC task force.

Members of newly-formed Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee today clashed with police in Kurukshetra while "forcefully" trying to take control of a gurdwara, where Amritsar-based SGPC members were already present in large numbers.

"Badal is behaving like a 'modern day mahant' (hereditary controller of shrines) who did not want to lose control over Haryana gurdwaras, like the 'old day mahants' against whom the Sikhs had to launch an agitation which eventually resulted in the constitution of the SGPC," Singh said.

"In almost similar manner, the Haryana Sikhs are trying to wrest control of their Gurdwaras from the gang of modern day mahants led by Badal," he added.

Praying for peace and wisdom to prevail, the former Punjab Chief Minister said, this all was happening because Badal was not prepared to give the Haryana Sikhs their rightful due.

"What is being witnessed today outside various Haryana gurdwaras is a total lawlessness and anarchy scripted and executed by Badal," he alleged.