Punjab The Latest as it comes

Vedanti rushes to Ludhiana to meet SGPC chief
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, May 19In a development which raised many eyebrows, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti today rushed to Ludhiana to hold an in-camera meeting with SGPC chief Avtar Singh to discuss the Dera Sacha Sauda issue, though he had called an emergency meeting of Sikh intellectuals at the Akal Takht secretariat here.
Initially, Jathedar Vedanti feigned ignorance about his meeting with the SGPC chief. However, he admitted that he went to Ludhiana to hold talks with the SGPC chief on the Sacha Sauda issue. He , however, refused to divulge what transpired in the meeting . His personal assistant, Prithipal Singh Sandhu, accompanied him to Ludhiana while a Cabinet-rank minister attended the closed door meeting on behalf of the Chief Minister.
In the absence of Jathedar Vedanti, Giani Iqbal Singh, Jathedar Patna Sahib, presided over the meeting of Sikh intellectuals at the Akal Takht secretariat . It is learnt that Jathedar Vedanti had to rush to Ludhiana following an SOS message.
When asked about the conspicuous absence of Jathedar Vedanti who had called the meeting , Giani Iqbal Singh refused to give a satisfactory reply. When this correspondent pointed out that he had definite information that he had gone to Ludhiana to meet the SGPC chief , he quipped: “You already know about all the developments.”
The SGPC chief reportedly discussed how to handle the volatile situation in the wake of the three-day ultimatum. The meeting also discussed the call given by Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh to Sikhs to assassinate the Dera Sacha Sauda chief.
On the other hand, the meeting of the Sikh intellectuals, held at Akal Takht secretariat suggested that legal notices be served on the electronic media for inciting the feelings of common Sikhs through “irresponsible coverage.” However, some Sikh intellectuals criticised the role of jathedars who had been working under the diktats of the Chief Minister and the SGPC chief.