Sehajdhari Sikhs protest against SGPC Act amendment Bill

Sehajdhari Sikhs on Tuesday staged a protest against a Bill passed by Parliament, which excludes them from voting in elections to Sikh religious bodies, saying that it will take a legal action as it prevents 70 lakh community members from exercising their franchise.

“We will take a legal recourse as the Bill is against our voting rights,” Sehajdhari Sikh leader Paramjit Singn Ranu said.

Parliament passed the Bill on Monday to amend a 91-year-old law to exclude Sahajdharis from voting in the elections to Sikh religious bodies, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the community ahead of Assembly elections in Punjab next year.

Ranu alleged the bill was sponsored by the SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) to maintain its control of SGPC. “It is a political move and it has cultural implications which will divide Sikh minority into a sub minority,” he said.