When the Akali leaders made a statement, some central leader or minister would support them, which made the influence of the Akalis in the central government visible. The Shiromani Akali Dal, which made immense sacrifices for the country and the nation, was dominant everywhere.
The Akali Dal was capable of influencing the political mainstream of this country. The Akali leaders fought many times and came together many times. It was believed that it seemed almost impossible to defeat the united Akalis in elections. The common people often said that now the villagers, i.e. those working at the grassroots level, have also started appearing on scooters, bikes and cycles with saffron flags tied around their waists, now no one can stop them from forming the government. The trio of Badal, Tohra and Talwandi has been famous in Punjab and it was believed that when they came together, there was unity in the sect and when they fought, there was division in the sect. In Punjab, they were considered as a sect.
During the last one and a half decades, when the politics of Punjab took a turn, the common people started to understand that the leaders are not the sect. The sect is the one who is connected with the Guru, gets up in the morning and goes to the Gurdwara Sahib, serves in the langar, serves couples, is engaged in the service of getting bicycles and scooters parked at the stand, is bathing the Darbar Sahib, is bathing in the tanks, is serving the lighting of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, takes out morning processions, enthusiastically participates in the Nagar Kirtan, etc.
The leaders work to advance the ideology of the sect and get sect issues resolved. Although their role cannot be ignored, still it is beginning to be thought about which sect leaders are doing these works.
When the investigation of the leaders’ Panthic works began, the general public was happy that monuments of Sikh history had been erected on the streets, which made the children and the general public aware of the ideology of the Gurus and the sacrifices of the Gursikhs. Along with this, it also became a part of the thinking that during the Akali rule, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji was desecrated, and the head of Dera Sacha Sauda was given an unsolicited pardon. The Akali Dal, which had formed governments by taking power from the Panth and the Guru Granth, seemed to have abandoned the path of Gadhi and gone down a difficult path. Along with this, many other incidents also started happening which ignored the good works done by the Akalis, which eventually led to their ouster. After being ousted from power, the Akali leaders used to try to get closer to each other, but this time that trend is not visible.
At present, such circumstances have arisen that their fight has become detrimental to the interests of the Panth and Punjab. The fight, which was limited to the Akali ranks, has reached the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Sri Akal Takht Sahib, which has created a situation of sadness and despair in the entire Panth.
Most of the people of Punjab are associated with the Akali Dal, their elders have made sacrifices for the Panth-nation. They express happiness by taking pride in the efforts made by their elders to form fronts for the interests of Punjab and to resolve the issues here. Now that the political position of the Akalis is getting thin, they still want some way to be found so that the echo of the Panth can be revived in Punjab. Even the leaders of the major political parties of Punjab, which have often faced opposition from the Akalis, want the Akalis to be re-established in Punjab.
Political parties have their own agendas but the statements made by them for the strength of the Akali Dal seem to be protecting the interests of Punjab somewhere or the other. It is being understood that the orders are given to the central parties by the central leaders, due to which the interests of Punjab are sometimes ignored.
Leaders associated with the central parties, being attached to the party line, sometimes do not dare to speak against such decisions. This causes harm to Punjab. It is not that everything is over now. In the evening, the prime-time of all the channels that run in Punjabi are focused on Akali politics. What are the major issues of Punjab, how can they be resolved, what policies of the government affect the common people; all these things seem to have disappeared from the main discussion. Only the way news and discussions related to Akali politics, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Sri Akal Takht Sahib are presented effectively can be estimated from that how effectively these institutions of the Panth are present in the minds of the common people, which cannot be seen by keeping them out.
At present, this is the main and big issue that is important in the eyes of the common people. In such an environment, it is also the great responsibility of the Akalis to make efforts to restore the respect of their institutions, avoid unnecessary statements and try to adopt a serious approach to the issues of the common people. To get out of this complacency that people will pave the way for them to form a government by being upset with other parties or governments.
The politics of the Akalis begins with Guru Hargobind Sahib, with whom the spirit of service, humility, benevolence, dedication etc. is associated. This spirit is being seen negatively among the current Akali leaders. The policy of presenting a position on TV channels with loud and crude language isIt cannot improve the situation nor can it create any constructive impact among the common people. Today, there is a need to reflect on where we stand in Sikh politics, which was established by the sixth Guru 400 years ago, and how have parties whose history is not very old moved forward?
