The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will work in close coordination with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and will provide all possible help and assistance needed by the Delhi-based religious body. Stating this here on Friday, SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar congratulated the Sikh 'sangat' in Delhi for showing utmost maturity and voting out the Sarna brothers, who had the backing of the Congress. "The Sarnas have stood exposed before the 'sangat' and have nothing to say in their defence. The Sikhs of Delhi showed maturity and voted out those who had dared to challenge the authority of the Akal Takht," he said.

The DSGMC is now in the hands of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) of the Badals, which also control the Amritsar-based religious body.

Replying to a query by the media, Makkar said that on a number of occasions in the past he had advised the Sarnas not to adopt the path of confrontation and give due respect to the Akal Takht. "But he chose to ignore my advice," the SGPC chief claimed.

Makkar alleged that the Sarnas used gurdwaras to settle political scores with their opponents. Instead of laying stress on religion and Gurbani and improving the management of shrines, the Sarnas used gurdwaras as political battlegrounds, he claimed.

Makkar said that one area where the SGPC would provide all assistance to the DSGMC was the preaching of Sikhism among the Sikhs of Delhi.

He said that he would be visiting Pakistan in March and hold talks with the government there on the issue of better management of historical Sikh shrines. "I will put forth the long-pending demand of the Sikhs for giving more say to the SGPC in the management of historical shrines in Pakistan," he added.