CHANDIGARH: Gobind Singh Longowal was on Wednesday unanimously re-elected as the president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) ‘mini parliament’ of the Sikhs amid ruckus at the general house meeting of the committee in Amritsar.
Longowal was re-elected unanimously after his name was proposed by former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur and was endorsed by Alwinder Pal Singh Pakhoke, nephew of Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) president and former MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, becoming the 44th chief of the SGPC. He will head the gurdwara body for the third time in a row after being elected as its chief for the first time in November 2017.
Meanwhile, ten members including Balwinder Singh Bains, Mahinder Singh Hussainpur, Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Amrik Singh Shahpur and Sarwan Singh walked out of the meeting protesting on the handling of the sacrilege incidents of 2015. They also claimed that it was not right to announce the name of a person as president without stating what he had done in his previous term.
Besides Longowal, Harjinder Singh Dhami and Rajinder Singh Mehta were re-elected general secretary and senior vice-president, respectively.
He had twice remained MLA and also served as minister in Punjab Government and was a close associate of former SAD leader Harchand Singh Longowal. He was expected to retain the post as he enjoys the confidence of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal who controls the body that manages historic Sikh shrines in north India.