Punjab: 3 Akali Dal’s eyes on capturing religious places
Punjab: Three different Akali parties took out rallies at the Maghi Mela in Muktsar on Tuesday, each claiming to be the true protectors of the Sikh panth. The occasion has been used in the past by both moderate and hardline Akalis to show their strength. The Shiromani Akali Dal has been trying to revive itself after continuous electoral setbacks since the ouster of its government in 2017, and the launch of the party by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal made the occasion even more special. Amritpal’s launch of the outfit has created a stir in Sikh politics. Earlier, his supporters had named their party Shiromani Akali Dal (Anandpur Sahib). But on Tuesday, they announced a different name. The announced name – Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) – bears the imprint of the jailed MP.
Waris Punjab De – an organisation previously headed by late actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu – is currently being headed by the Khadoor Sahib MP. The organisation had allegedly received funds from abroad in the past, which had been questioned by Indian security agencies. Meanwhile, the more than a century-old Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) tried to make a fresh start through a political rally on the Maghi Mela – the first major occasion addressed by its former president Sukhbir Singh Badal after the Akal Takht’s punitive order forced the party to accept his resignation. However, the party continued to rally behind Sukhbir, who was one of several SAD leaders who were given religious punishment for “mistakes” committed by them during their party’s rule from 2017-18. Party leaders, impressed by the huge turnout at the rally, vied with each other in praising Sukhbir and even projected him as the future chief minister of Punjab.
Earlier, the Akal Takht had asked the party to look for new leaders after it ran a membership drive for six months to reconstitute the Shiromani Akali Dal. The temporary bench had also constituted a seven-member panel headed by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami. Though the party accepted Sukhbir’s resignation much delayed and reluctantly, it rejected the committee constituted by the Takht. Instead, the Shiromani Akali Dal formed its own 13-member panel to run a month-long membership drive from January 20. This came after Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh put pressure on the party to accept “in entirety” the diktat announced by five Sikh high priests on December 2. The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), led by well-known Khalistan ideologue Mann, also held a rally. The party’s banners had been constantly claiming that it was fighting for a separate homeland for Sikhs. It remains to be seen how the party reacts to the emergence of a new Sikh hardline group led by Amritpal.
