1. Contrary to the doubts being expressed, the tribute ceremony held at Sri Akal Takht Sahib on the 41st anniversary of the Saka Nila Tara remained peaceful. The Sikh congregations sitting in the country and abroad and Punjabis as a whole expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of this ceremony. SGPC President S. Harjinder Singh Dhami played a special role in this regard, but despite this, the dispute regarding the appointment of Jathedars of the Takhts has not been resolved yet.
On June 8, senior leaders of all political parties of Punjab attended the tribute ceremony for veteran Akali leader S. Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa in Sangrur and it was also noteworthy that leaders of almost all factions of the Akali Dal were present in it. The specialty of this ceremony was that the issue of unity of the Akali Dal emerged very loudly in it. Akali Dal (Badal) President Sukhbir Singh Badal said that Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa wanted unity in the Akali Dal again. Surprisingly, the most vehement advocate of Akali unity was made by the Punjab President of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Sunil Jakhar. He said that it is necessary for the interests of the country and Punjab that there should be unity among the different factions of the Akali Dal. Although on the occasion of the completion of 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule on June 10, while talking to the media, he also said that he is preparing to contest elections on all 117 seats in Punjab. When asked about the relations with the Akali Dal, he said that what is the Akali Dal’s responsibility? They should first stand on their own feet.
During this period, the activity of Damdami Taksal and its head Harnam Singh Khalsa has also increased considerably in the context of religious matters of the Sikh Panth. They have been continuously pressuring the Akali Dal Badal and the Gurdwara Management Committee to take an early decision on the reinstatement of the previous Jathedars of Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Takht Keshgarh Sahib or the appointment of another universally accepted Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib. They had also announced to hold a dharna in front of Sukhbir Singh Badal’s house in village Badal in this regard, keeping in mind which the President of Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee S. Harjinder Singh Dhami had to go to Chowk Mehta again and assure him on this issue that the issue would be resolved soon. Only after this did Harnam Singh Khalsa Badal agree to postpone the village dharna.
The rebel faction of the Akali Dal which is running a campaign for its new recruitment under the leadership of the 5-member recruitment committee formed by the Akal Takht. He has reiterated this after the tribute ceremony of Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa that unity can be achieved in the Akali Dal only if the party that has run away from the orders of Sri Akal Takht Sahib resigns from their posts and joins the recruitment made by them. He also said that the Akali Dal will be reconstituted afresh after completing the recruitment soon.
The details of all these developments that have taken place in the last few days are given here so that the readers can know that the long-standing crisis in the major religious and political organizations of the Sikh Panth is still ongoing. Although the Panthic constituency of Punjab wants unity in the religious and political organizations of the Panth, so that they can work in their respective areas to protect the interests of the Panth and Punjab, this is not seen happening yet.
The infighting among the religious and political organizations of the Sikh Panth and especially the long-standing rivalry by various related parties to use them in their own interests has resulted in the decline in the influence of the Panthic organizations among the people. Their credibility has decreased. For this reason, when the ruling party BJP at the center or the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab or the leaders of other opposition parties target the political and religious leadership of the Sikh Panth keeping their political interests in mind, the kind of reaction is not seen among the Panthic ranks and even among the common people of Punjab, which was seen a few decades ago. At one time, not only in Punjab but also in the entire country, the status of the President of the Shiromani Akali Dal, the President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib were considered great. They were given special respect throughout the country and their words were given great importance in the media as well. Why the status and image of Panthic organizations and Panthic leaders have suffered a great loss and how their dignity and respect can be restored is a big challenge facing the Sikh Panth at this time in both the political and religious spheres.
In this regard, our clear opinion is that the senior leaders of the Sikh Panth, who are in different factions, should examine themselves with an open mind and improve their practices keeping in mind the interests of the Panth and Punjab. Although on December 2, 2024, at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the prominent Akali leaders accepted the past mistakes and also paid the religious punishments (also called ‘salaries’ in religious terminology). But even after this, not much difference was seen in the words and actions of most Panthic leaders. Until the big Panthic leaders put aside their personal interests and rededicate themselves to the interests of the Panth and Punjab and make the working style of the Shiromani Akali Dal democratic and transparent, neither Panthic unity is possible nor can they regain the trust of the people of Punjab.
From where
As far as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is concerned, it needs to bring about a major change in its policies and programmes. Its work should not be limited to managing historical Gurdwaras or running educational institutions. In the present times, it should pay special attention to the growing evils in the Sikh society, including religious conversion, the growing trend of drugs, wasteful spending on marriages and the growing distance of the new generation from the Sikh way of life, etc.
A special meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should be convened to discuss in detail all these challenges faced by the Sikh community and consultations should also be held with Sikh intellectuals. After that, a large-scale propaganda campaign should be launched to create awareness about the above-mentioned evils by making a programme. Recently, it was reported that about 3 thousand Sikhs from villages bordering Nepal in Uttar Pradesh have left their religion and joined another religion. This trend is not limited to Uttar Pradesh only, but there are also constant reports from Punjab that religious leaders affiliated with a particular religion are converting poor Sikh families by luring them with greed or by enslaving them with superstition. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee should take serious note of this and should also make an effective plan to provide quality education and necessary health facilities to the children of poor Sikh families. Sikhism should also be propagated among them. The Kirtani Jathas of the Sikh Panth and the Shiromani Committee preachers should pay special attention to reaching out to the poor families, especially in rural areas. It is also very important that a mechanism should be made now regarding the appointments, scope of work and retirement of the Jathedars of various Takhts. No decisions should be taken in this regard in the future in a hurry, which may create even more disputes in the Panth.
Overall, it can be said that only if the political and religious leadership of the Sikh Panth re-dedicates itself wholeheartedly to Sikh principles and fully adapts its own practices to them, will it be able to play its due role in the politics of Punjab and the country and in the religious sphere of the Panth.
