CHANDIGARH Even as Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) which is popularly known as Akal Dal Badal or Badal Dal due to Badal family’s monopoly over it, is passing through its worst phase, its president Sukhbir Badal does not refrain from making drama.

Two and half months after Akal Takht Sahib declared him tankhaiya (guilty of religious misconduct) for his and his father Parkash Badal’s sins against Punjab and Sikhs, Sukhbir finally tendered his resignation on Saturday. After his resignation, a ray of hope emerged for revival of the Sikh political party as the community has been willing to sack him as the party chief for long time.

“This resignation is the first step in checking the continuing downfall… As a first step towards revival of Akali Dal, the Akali Takht could set up a 5-member panel to oversee new recruitment to constitute the new general house and run the day-to-day party affairs. It would take a long time to undo the damage done to the party”, said veteran journalist Jagtar Singh, former resident editor of The Indian Express.

However, it came to fore later on that there is no seriousness behind this step.

While tendering resignation, Sukhbir Badal did not admit that Sikh nation wanted him to quit, that exposed what was in his mind. The party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema who is known as pawn of Badals, cited that the five-year term of the president is expiring after a month and new election is being conducted on December 14 during delegate session of the party. However, Sukhbir or any other president never quitted pre-maturely like this.

Had he (Cheema) linked it to the Akal Takht decision or sentiments of the Sikh nation, it would have reduced the resentment against Sukhbir.

Sukhbir sent his resignation to the working committee, which is supposed to take decision whether the resignation is accepted or not.

However, a high drama was witnessed during the meeting of the working committee at the party head office at Chandigarh on Monday (November 18).

Before the start of the meeting, the brigade of Sukhbir started shouting slogans and making an uproar to demand rejection of the resignation. In words of a story published by The Time of India, “Shiromani Akali Dal may be in an existential crisis, after its rout started from 2017 assembly elections, but party leadership packed with Sukhbir Singh Badal’s loyalists project the TINA (there is no alternative) factor’. In this case, Sukhbir’s loyalists mean there is no alternative to the scion of Parkash Singh Badal’s political legacy”.

“The happenings in Shiromani Akali Dal head office on Monday, the way Sukhbir’s loyalists built the atmosphere and the arguments they offered –later posted on social media accounts of SAD –projected this factor”, reads the story.

Actually, jathedars of Akal Takht and other Sikh temporal seats had also conveyed to Sukhbir that he should quit. Yet, the brigade of Sukhbir is building pressure on the party leadership and the jathedars to disseminate that his resignation is not in the interests of the party and community. In a way, they went against the decree of Akal Takht Sahib, which was founded by sixth Guru Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib.

Commenting on the situation, another veteran journalist and Sikh thinker Sukhdev Singh says, “They have told Sikhs throughout their life that the decree of Akal Takht Sahib is divine. Now, they have tightly hugged tankhaiya (guilty of misconduct religiously, socially and politically). Also, they are openly announcing that they will live or die with Sukhbir and don’t bother Akal Takht Sahib’s decision of declaring him tankhaiya, nor will any quantum of punishment affect them”.

“They are a residue of Akal Takht, which is nothing but a mafia gang which is trying to prove revolt in the party as temporary. Panth has rejected this gang”, he added.

While briefing after the meeting, acting president Balwinder Singh Bhundar said, “The working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has decided to keep its decision on resignation of Sukhbir Badal pending. The panel will discuss the issue with the SGPC members and district level SAD leaders before taking a decision”.

However, in the press release issued in the evening, it was stated that “the working committee unanimously appealed to the party president to reconsider his resignation and asserted that if the latter did not accept its request the entire Committee would resign enmasse. …The Committee, while expressing its complete confidence in the leadership of Sukhbir Singh Badal.”

These words are entirely different from ones uttered by Bhundar and other leaders during the press briefing after the meeting.

Going by the press release, Sukhbir’s resignation was rejected.

The press releases of the party are issued by its media team which is totally under control of Sukhbir. It is headed by Jangvir Singh who is personal media advisor of Sukhbir. So, the press release stated what Sukhbir and his gang wanted. Similarly, the party’s official social handles and pages are in control of Badal. Setting aside the party’s collective decision, these handles and pages are sharing posts in favour of Sukhbir Badal’s leadership.

Exposing the drama of Badals in clearer language, former All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) leader Manjit Singh Bhoma said, “It was a pre-planned scheming of Sukhbir Badal. It was a pre-scripted drama in which the SAD president is playing tricks following the footprints of his father Parkash Badal”. 

“In 1995, when the then Akal Takht jathedar Prof. Manjit Singh initiated efforts for unity among different Akali factions, Parkash Badal played a dirty trick to torpedo these efforts. He went incommunicado after resigning from the presidency of his faction and forming a five member presidium. To protect his presidency, Sukhbir is playing the same trick. Those who are shouting slogans in his favour, lack understanding of Panthic politics and Sikh faith. To woo Sukhbir whom they consider their god, they are offering their resignations. They are challenging Akal Takht indirectly”, he added.  

During the press conference, Badal Dal leaders expressed shock at the manner in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and the central government were colluding to dilute Punjab’s right over Chandigarh. “The Administrator should state point blank that he would not grant permission for the same instead of coming out with diplomatic statements due to the ongoing by-elections in Punjab”, they said.

“Now, they (Badal Dal leaders) will be seen making efforts to prove themselves as big crusaders. They say that they would not let any chunk of Chandigarh land be allotted to Haryana for establishment of separate assembly building”, said Sukhdev Singh commenting further on them.  

He added, “They should remember that claim of Haryana over 40 percent share in Chandigarh was recognized by the then Punjab CM Parkash Badal in 2015, when he in written approved 24.5 percent share of Haryana in International Airport established on land of Punjab at Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali) adjoining Chandigarh. This airport was solely awarded to Punjab by the Centre. Not an inch of land was given by Haryana for this. Share of Haryana was recognized on the grounds that Haryana has 40 percent share in Chandigarh. This gang worked against Punjab in the context of Chandigarh”. 

Hardeep Singh