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Jagir Kaur is first woman president of SGPC

Neena Chaudhary in Amritsar

The Shiromani Akali Dal today paid tribute to the International Year of the Woman by unanimously electing Bibi Jagir Kaur Begowal as president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. The party's veteran leader, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, in a surprise move, had resigned from the post on Monday.

Bibi Jagir Kaur Begowal, who becomes the first woman to lead the SGPC, is a cabinet minister in charge of tourism and cultural affairs and department of social security and development of women and children in the Parkash Singh Badal ministry in Punjab. The governor has since accepted her letter of resignation as minister, late in the evening.

Her name was proposed by the chief minister and Akali Dal president, whose letter was read out by the party's office secretary, Kirpal Singh Badungar and accepted unanimously by raising of hands and shouting of 'Bole so Nihal, Sat Sri Akal.' Kiranjot Kaur seconded her name. Badal, who is not an SGPC member, was not present at the meeting that lasted for 45 minutes in the Teja Singh Samundari Hall in the SGPC secretariat located in the historic Golden Temple complex.

Balbir Singh Naushehra Pannuan, who spearheaded the campaign against Tohra, was elected as senior vice-president. He was general secretary in the previous executive body. Hardalbir Singh Shah has been made general secretary, while Kewal Singh Badal was retained as junior vice-president. As many as 130 members turned up for the meeting, while the Tohra faction abstained from attending it.

Though Badal did not attend the meeting personally, he was present in Amritsar since last evening to ensure a smooth change in the SGPC leadership. His supporters were also present in large numbers. Prominent among them were party secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Punjab ministers Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Tota Singh and media adviser, Harcharan Bains.

However, a protest walkout by radical leader Simranjit Singh Mann marked Bibi Begowal's election. He said the election was a violation of the December 31 hukumnama issued from the Akal Takht, and that his party could not be party to the 'gross violation' of the maryada and Sikh tradition.

Giani Puran Singh, who was appointed acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht after Bhai Ranjit Singh was suspended, presided over today's meeting. The Amritsar deputy commissioner, Narinderjit Singh, was the state government's observer for the special meeting of the general house, which was convened to take up the non-confidence motion against Tohra. The district administration had made elaborate arrangements for the meeting.

After her election, Bibi Begowal profusely thanked the SGPC members, with repeated mention of Badal. At a hastily convened press conference, she said serious efforts would be made to bring all on one platform for the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations.

The SGPC's new chief said Giani Puran Singh was the actual Jathedar of the Akal Takht and discounted Bhai Ranjit Singh's claims as his own. She also reiterated that she stood for the withdrawal of the December 31 hukumnama.

Earlier, during the meeting, Pannuan said as Tohra's resignation was not received 'officially, the house must proceed to consider the no-confidence motion as per the announced schedule. He said the house could not take cognisance of Tohra's resignation, who he accused of being in the habit of going back on his words.

The developments mark the end of the first chapter in the ongoing religio-political feud in the state. Tohra has been locked in a fierce feud with Badal, for the last three months, the fight hogging media headlines for some time.

In 1998, Tohra created a record of sorts, when he was elected to the office for the 25th time. He first became president of the SGPC in 1973, after the death of the then chief, Sant Chanan Singh. Since then, but for two brief periods, Tohra has headed the SGPC. He has another record under his belt, of being elected regularly to the SGPC for the last 39 years since 1960.

According to UNI, Jagir Kaur has created history by becoming the first woman president of the SGPC in 74 years after the Sikh body was set up under an act of Parliament during the British regime in 1925.

The Parliament of Sikhs came into being under the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925. The legislation was enacted after a movement for the liberation of gurdwaras was launched by the Sikhs in early twenties.

Another first achieved by Jagir Kaur was that she was elected to the SGPC from Bholath constituency in Kapurthala for the first time only in October 1996.

Promoted by Badal to dent the fiefdom of his erstwhile senior colleague Sukhjinder Singh, Jagir Kaur was given the assembly ticket in February 1997 and she romped home defeating Sukhjinder Singh's son Sukhpal Singh, who had contested on a Congress ticket in Bholath.

A first-time SGPC member and later first-time MLA, Jagir Kaur was made a cabinet minister in the first go itself. She now holds the portfolio of social welfare and development of women and children besides tourism and cultural affairs.

A widow in her forties, she took charge of the dera at Beghowal after her husband's death.

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