AMRITSAR: With the land Slide victory of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the elections to the general house of the SGPC, its chief, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal has emerged as undisputed leader of the Sikh community. The issue of the Sikh leadership hitherto confused since Opera Mon Bluestar in 1984 due to Claims and counterclaims by the president of about half a dozen Akali Dals, has for once been settled. The massive mandate given by the Sikhs living in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, has proved that the SAD led by Mr. Badal is the “real” Akali Dal. In Sikh parlance, only that Akali Dal is considered a real one, which controls the SGPC. There is a Saying that “Akali Dal without the SGPC is a “khali dal”. Mr. Badal, who has captured the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (DSGPC) during Gurdwara elections at Delhi last year, has also consolidated its hold over the SGPC also.
Since the SAD waged a long struggle in the twenties to liberate Gurdwaras from the clutches of the hereditary ‘mahants’ and a large number of Sikhs participated in those “morchas’, the Sikh sentiments are attached to the AD. That is why even those Sikh leaders, who have been criticizing the traditional Akali leaders, had been launching their new party only with the name of Shiromani Akali Dal claiming to be the “real” Akali Dal. The open support extended by the Congress to the Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by Mr. Simranjit Singh Mann and newly floated Akali Dal (Panthic) led by Sant Ajit Singh has boomeranged and proved fatal for those Akali factions. The fate of the leaders of Akali Dal (Mann) who won his Bassi Pathana seat has been sealed. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which captured two Lok Sabha seats by having an electoral alliance with the SAD, failed to open its account in this apex body of Sikhs.
The political careers of Mr. Kuldip Singh Wadala, Mr. Sukhjinder Singh and Mr. Prem Singh Lal pura, who revolted against Mr. Badal on the issue of allotment of tickets, had also been eclipsed. Similar is the case of dissident leaders, who contested as “rebel” candidates. It is a lesson for the dissidents that they draw strength from their respective party. By leaving their mainstream party, they are likely to go into political oblivion. The president of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, Mr. Kirpal Singh, also a senior Janata Dal leader, had also ruined his political career by extending support to rebels and non-SAD candidates except Mr. Puran Singh Josh. The Damdami Taksal which had ‘been dominating the Sikh affairs for the past about 18 years, since the Sikh Nirankari clash of Baisakhi day in 1987, had also been exposed so is the case of the family of Sant Jamail Singh Bhindranwale. The Sikh electorate has out rightly rejected the radical elements. The SGPC poll results will affect the forthcoming assembly elections in Punjab which are due in February next year. The emergence of the SADBJP alliance on the political horizon of Punjab is imminent. The NRI Sikhs, who have been funding certain radical and fiery Akali leaders, in the past, would think twice before sending huge funds in future.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 16, 1996
