The crisis of the Akali Dal has now pushed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) into its cycle view. In view of the situation that arose after the decision to remove Giani Harpreet Singh from the post of Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, SGPC President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami and later former SGPC President Kirpal Singh Badungar had resigned from the 7-member recruitment committee that was formed by Akal Takht Sahib to rebuild the Akali Dal. Dhami has also stepped down from the post of SGPC President. This has deepened the panthic crisis amid the changing situation after December 2 last year.
Explaining the reasons for his resignation, Dhami had said that he was resigning from his post on moral grounds due to the comments made by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh after the decision to remove Giani Harpreet Singh. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had strongly objected to the decision of the SGPC to remove Giani Harpreet Singh from the post of Jathedar. He was on a visit to England at the time.
Jathedar Raghbir Singh had said that the reason and method used to remove Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, from the post is completely unprincipled and unethical. He had said that only after the decisions taken by Sri Akal Takht Sahib on December 2, 2024 in the light of Panthic sentiments and traditions, it seemed that an atmosphere was being created against the Singh Sahibs in a calculated and deliberate manner. Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had earlier objected to the investigation committee formed against Giani Harpreet Singh that the SGPC does not have the authority to investigate against the Jathedars and only the Jathedar of the Akal Takht can take any action in this regard.
Members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Jathedar Surinder Singh Bhulewal Rathan, Bhai Manjit Singh, Jathedar Mithu Singh Kahneke, Jathedar Satwinder Singh Tohra and Jathedar Malkit Singh Changal, issued a joint statement and appealed to Jathedar Sri Akal Takht Sahib Giani Raghbir Singh to reject the one-sided investigation report prepared against Giani Harpreet Singh.
Pakistani Sikh leader and former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Bishan Singh had said that the Pakistani Sikh community has decided to stand with Giani Harpreet Singh like a rock. He said that baseless allegations have been made against Giani Harpreet Singh.
So far, neither the Shiromani Committee nor the Shiromani Akali Dal leadership had reacted to the statement of the Akal Takht Jathedar. Although the supporters of Sukhbir’s faction have been strongly criticizing Giani Harpreet Singh, some are even using harsh language, and have continued to support the decision of the Akali leaders and the Shiromani Committee, there has been no clear reaction from them on the statement of the Akal Takht Jathedar.
It is worth mentioning that the Panthic situation is constantly changing after the action taken against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and others from the Akal Takht on December 2 last year. During this time, the gap between the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Jathedars of the Takhts has widened. The Shiromani Committee was acting as a bridge between the two sides, but due to the tension and pressure that arose, Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami resigned from the post of president.
Senior journalist and expert on Panthic politics Jaspal Singh Sidhu says that ‘Harjinder Singh Dhami was under a lot of political pressure, due to which he had separated himself from the activities of the Akali Dal a long time ago. Especially during the Maghi Mela, he was not seen on the stage of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Jaspal Singh said that the Panthic crisis has come to the Akali Dal before, but at that time its political hold was quite high, but at the present time the wind is not in the favor of the Akali Dal because politically it has already come to the margins. In the current situation, it does not seem possible to compensate for that and if this happens, it will be the most historic setback for the Akali Dal.
Jathedar Akal Takht surrounded by challenges
After the resignations of Dhami and Badungar, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh will now have to face another challenge and a complicated situation, because instead of resolving the crisis, more complications have arisen.
Although Dhami had referred to the Akal Takht Jathedar’s statement about the dismissal of Giani Harpreet Singh four days after the Akal Takht Jathedar’s statement in favor of Giani Harpreet Singh and against the SGPC investigation team, it has been learned that the second major reason was that he could not fulfill the responsibility of running the seven-member committee formed by the Akal Takht on December 2 for the Akali Dal’s membership drive. This committee has not been able to function till date, and Sukhbir Singh Badal’s faction has made it clear that its membership drive is going on smoothly and no questions should be raised about it. The committee held a meeting at the sub-office of the Shiromani Committee in Chandigarh on February 13, Dhami and Gurpartap Singh Wadala also met with the working president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Balwinder Singh Bhunder. A day later, the chief spokesperson of the Shiromani Akali Dal, Arshdeep Singh Kler, had asserted that the members of this committee can act as observers as per the decision taken by the working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and the membership is running very smoothly and enthusiastically. Kler told the committee members
He commented on the issue that they seem to be working under a conspiracy to harm the party. After Dhami’s resignation, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh is now facing another challenge and a difficult situation, because instead of resolving the crisis, more complications have arisen.
Recruitment Committee’s View
Meanwhile, the five members of the committee held their meeting last Tuesday and decided to seek fresh directions from the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht regarding their work in the current situation, which shows that the committee is still willing to carry out the work assigned by the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht.
However, due to resignation, Harjinder Singh Dhami as the head of the committee and Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar as a member were absent from the meeting. In his absence, the five members of the committee Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Santa Singh Umaidpuri and Bibi Satwant Kaur held a meeting. During the investigation, this recruitment committee has come to the conclusion that the Shiromani Akali Dal is not ready to recruit according to the purpose for which this recruitment committee was formed by Sri Akal Takht Sahib and in this regard, this committee will submit its report to Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Manpreet Ayali said that after Bhunder did not come to the second meeting, he also went to his house but he did not cooperate.
