Author Hardeep Singh

In the continuation of betraying Sikhs to please their bosses at New Delhi, Badals and company, which is known as “Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)” in masses, has pushed the community into deep crisis once again by undermining and damaging supreme authority of the Akal Takht Sahib, highest Sikh temporal seat. 

For their political interests, the Badal family, which was formerly headed by Parkash Badal and now by Sukhbir Badal, has always compromised with the interests of the community. It has always joined hands with the Indian State to work against the Sikhs. In understanding with the Indian Deep State, Badal and Company formed the governments in Punjab in an unconditional alliance with Hindu extremist political party, BJP. 

Though this family has a long history of its anti-Sikhs acts, we will recall recent incidents before putting light on the current crisis. 

Though Badals had kept on pressurizing jathedars of Takhts (Sikh temporal seats) earlier, they crossed all limits to violate sanctity, maryada and supremacy of Akal Takht Sahib by dictating its jathedar to pardon notorious and anti-Sikh Sirsa based Dera  Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015 from the Takht in case of blasphemous act of imitating tenth King Sri Guru Gobind Singh, gong against the will of the Sikh nation. 

This act heavily damaged the highest Sikh institution founded by sixth Guru Sri Hargobind Sahib in the complex of Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple), though the pardon had to be revoked following backlash from the Sikh community. 

Badals did so to garner votes of the Dera followers who, on the order of their controversial head, committed sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, present Guru of Sikhs, in different villages of Faridkot district, including Bargari. They stole the holy saroop of Guru Granth Sahib from the gurdwara and scattered torn pages of Guru Sahib in streets. And the Badal government, which claimed to be Sikh government, shielded the Dera head and its followers in this case. 

After these sins, the SAD (Badal) faced back to back debacles in the elections of parliament and Punjab assembly. In recently held parliamentary elections, SAD (Badal) candidates lost security deposits in many constituencies. This forced some of the party leaders to revolt against Sukhbir Badal and demanded his resignation from the party top post. After their demand was declined, the rebel leaders approached Akal Takht Sahib with the written complaint. 

Acting on the complaint, the highest Sikh temporal seat declared ‘tankhaiya’ (guilty of religious misconduct) for his sins. This was the first jolt to Sukhbir Badal and it restricted his political activities. Since then he and his pawns have been pressurizing the Akal Takht Sahib jathedar to not take any political decision against him (Sukhbir). However, the entire community is demanding political decision such as his expulsion from the party. When they failed to influence the jathedars, they started posing threats to the jathedars. 

Sukhbir’s pawn Virsa Valtoha publicly resorted to the character assassination of the Panj Singh Sahiban which are revered and respected posts in Sikhi. On his social media handles, he leveled baseless allegations against the jathedars and claimed that they are under pressure of Indian government, ruling party BJP-RSS and Sikhs living abroad. When asked, he failed to produce the evidences to support his claims. 

Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh also revealed that Valtoha visited his residence on the pretext of enquiring after his health but he posed threat to him indirectly. He asked the jathedar not to take any political decision against Sukhbir. “Without informing the jathedar, Valtoha recorded his conversation which is a betrayal and unethical”, said the jathedar.  

“His media statement has damaged the respect and maryada of the Akal Takht. So, the SAD acting president is asked to expel him from the party within 24 hours and not to take him in the party fold for 10 years. If he still does not refrain from his acts, stricter action will be taken against him,” reads the edict issued by Panj Singh Sahiban at Akal Takht Sahib.

Even after this punishment, Valtoha did not refrain from his dirty tricks and intensified verbal attack on Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, that hurt Sikh sentiments across the world. The IT cell of Badal Dal and its third class leaders resorted to troll Giani Harpreet Singh. Upset over this, he tendered resignation. Though his resignation was not accepted by the SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami as the community wanted him to continue his commendable services, his announcement about the resignation exposed the real face of the Badal and Company. 

Giani Harpreet Singh’s emotional words are worth listening to in this regard. He said, “Virsa Singh Valtoha was carrying out character assassination of Panj Singh Sahiban on a regular basis. So, Panj Singh Sahiban pronounced decision against him yesterday. Even after that, he has been carrying out character assassination. He is targeting me. Now, he has crossed all the limits of going low level in this act. He is passing on messages to me through different persons. I was getting threats against my family. It is being said that my family will be stripped. I am receiving threats that my daughters will be abducted. My caste is being examined. I never expected that Virsa Singh Valtoha would stoop low. He is doing so after his unholy efforts of calling me broker of RSS-BJP.  This is beyond tolerance”.

“And biggest thing, Valtoha is being shielded by the social media wing of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and its third class leaders who lack knowledge of Panthic traditions. We are not afraid of Virsa Valtoha. Shielding him by the third class leaders and SAD social media wing has pained my mind a lot. My organization Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is also mum on this issue. In such a situation, I especially cannot serve at Takht Sahib. Because, apart from being a jathedar, I am also the father of my daughters. So, I am sending my resignation to the SGPC chief and asking him to accept my resignation”, he added.

This message of Giani Harpreet Singh enraged the Sikh community and uncovered the conspiracy of Sukhbir Badal to manage the decision of the Akal Takht Sahib in his favour. However, the Sikhs foiled the bid of Sukhbir who has been acting as stooge of the Indian establishment like his father and five times Chief Minister Parkash Badal. 

The conspiracy was hatched to ensure that the jathedars do not take any political decision against Sukhbir and sack him as party president. After this development, the community crisis has got averted. Now, it is looming over Sukhbir who may pay a political price for committing sins against Sikhs.