The North News
News Analysis
Chandigarh, March 10
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), once a formidable force in Punjab politics, is now grappling with a crisis that strikes at its very core. The recent dissent voiced by senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia against party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal is not just a display of internal strife but a sign of deeper ideological and leadership fissures. The SAD, a party with a storied history intertwined with Sikh religious and political spheres, must confront its ghosts if it hopes to remain relevant.
Majithia’s open criticism of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for removing Giani Raghbir Singh as Akal Takht jathedar and Giani Sultan Singh from Takht Kesgarh Sahib signals a rebellion too significant to dismiss. His statement, underscoring respect for the Akal Takht and its jathedar, is a veiled rebuke to Badal’s perceived overreach. For a party that champions Sikh values and traditions, this schism is nothing short of dangerous.
The core of the discord lies in the control of the SGPC, the apex Sikh body. The seeds of this conflict were sown when Sukhbir Badal resigned as SAD president last year after being declared ‘tankhaiya’—guilty of religious misconduct—by the Akal Takht. His apology for manipulating Sikh institutions and for the controversial 2015 pardon of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh may have aimed at reconciliation, but it has now seemingly backfired. Critics within SAD allege that Badal’s intervention led to the jathedar removals, a charge the party denies.
This internal clash is not merely about religious appointments but a battle for the party’s soul. Majithia’s challenge comes as a test of leadership for Badal, whose grip over SAD appears increasingly fragile. The strong rebuke from SAD Working President Balwinder Singh Bhundar, warning of disciplinary action against dissenters, only adds to the sense of an organisation in disarray.
The broader question is whether SAD can restore its unity and purpose. The upcoming SGPC budget session on March 28 in Amritsar will be pivotal. It is not just the jathedar appointments that hang in the balance but the very future of a party that risks becoming a relic of its own history.
For Punjab and its people, the stability of SAD matters. The party has been a custodian of Sikh political and religious aspirations. A divided SAD weakens not just itself but also the voice of Sikh representation on key issues. If the party leadership fails to address the grievances and restore discipline, it risks losing not only political ground but also its moral authority.
The time for SAD to reconcile its factions is now. This is not merely an internal matter; it is a test of its responsibility towards the community it claims to serve.
Amid a continuing dispute over the SGPC’s removal of two jathedars, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj took charge on Monday as the jathedar of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib. Several Nihang groups opposed his appointment, asserting that the ‘Khalsa Panth’ would never accept him.
