The Badal legacy and SAD fragmentation

August 11 marked another sad day for the oldest regional political party in India, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), founded in 1920. That day, the party witnessed a vertical split in its ranks with the formation of a parallel Akali Dal headed by Giani Harpreet Singh, former acting jathedar of Akal Takht. He was unceremoniously removed by the Badal-controlled SGPC in February, 2024.The Akali Dal has been facing a crisis since Sukhbir Badal succeeded his father Parkash Badal as head of the party in 2008. His leadership suffered a setback with the December 2, 2024, decision of the Akal Takht, then headed by Giani Raghbir Singh, who handed out tankhah (religious punishment) to Sukhbir for religious misconduct over some controversial decisions taken during the Badals' 2007-17 regime. Giani Raghbir Singh was also removed from the post, leading to controversies in religious and political circles.Although the party has faced many turbulent periods, the present crisis is unprecedented. It can be traced to 2008 when Sukhbir was handed the party reins by his father, ignoring other senior party and taksali leaders, including Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Manpreet Singh Badal and Sewa Singh Sekhwan.Later, many of them left the party either to form their own party or join other parties. Their departure was followed by the resignations of a number of middle-rung and grassroots leaders in the party. Most of them have joined either the BJP or the AAP, while others have quit, citing health and old age. The marginalisation and exodus of senior leaders and taksali cadre led to their replacement by leaders with doubtful credentials.The unprecedented victory of the SAD-led alliance in the 2012 Assembly elections postponed the leadership crisis for some time because of Badals' complete control over the party and government. But, it weakened the SAD's organisational structure and the legitimacy of the leadership was at stake.As loyalty to individuals rather than the party became the new norm, many leaders kept themselves at bay. The leadership of the young brigade was given to Bikramjit Singh Majithia.The decline began with the SAD's poor performance in the 2017 Punjab Assembly elections as also in the many other elections at all levels after that, even though it had an alliance with the BJP till 2021. The party managed to win only 15 seats and was replaced by the AAP as the main Opposition in the Assembly. The party's dismal performance in the 2022 Assembly elections exposed the loss of the charisma of the top leaders, with both the Badals and many prominent leaders losing the elections. The party could win only three seats.The SAD’s problems got aggravated because of its initial support to the three Central farm laws, being a part of the BJP-led NDA government. But later, it had to withdraw support to the NDA following pressure from the farmers' protest movement. Things had come to such a pass that fearing the wrath of farmers and others, many prominent SAD leaders avoided going to rural and semi-urban areas to mobilise support during the 2022 Assembly elections.Thus, the SAD has been in continuous decline at all levels. Once a party of principles and boasting of a glorious history of sacrifices, its fundamental spirit gradually withered away as a new culture of hooliganism crept in. The SAD originated in the struggle against British rule. The party's morcha against Indira Gandhi during the Emergency in 1975 is unparalleled in contemporary times. In contrast, what image is the present SAD leadership now portraying to the people?The SAD regime from 2007-17 saw the condition of not only farmers but also the state economy deteriorating, mounting debt, a growing drug network and rising corruption. In addition, the government lost the Sutlej-Yamuna Link case against Haryana in the Supreme Court. Hooliganism and arrogance of some Akali leaders, their monopoly over state transport, liquor, sand and gravel mafia and increasing religious intolerance in the form of beadbi (desecration) of Guru Granth Sahib worsened the crisis.That people were disillusioned with the Badal family was evident in the post-poll survey conducted by Lokniti in 2017, wherein Parkash Singh Badal's popularity as a chief-ministerial candidate was recorded as the lowest since 1997. The general perception was that the SAD had become a private club of the Badals' extended family and friends, who shared the spoils of office. This may be one of the reasons behind the intra-SAD struggle that led to the August 11 split.The Akalis, who have always cleverly used the Sikh religion to propel their political agenda, have also fallen afoul of the faithful and are seen as responsible for the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib. They feel that the Akali-led government did not address the sacrilege issue properly and failed to respect religious sentiments.The Congress, the AAP and splinter Akali Dals used this issue to their advantage, further demoralising the Akali leadership. The exit of Akali legislators from the special Assembly session convened to discuss Justice Ranjit Singh's report on sacrilege cases further exposed their weakness as they could not face the House proceedings.The top SAD leadership has committed many blunders. First, it forced the clergy to grant pardon to the head of Dera Sacha Sauda of Sirsa. But it had to revoke the decision after public outrage, denting the leaders' image for their inept handling of the religious issue.By controlling all major decisions in the party and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Badal family has left no room for any other leader. The recent appointments and removal of jathedars of takhts are examples of how the democratic process in the SGPC has been snuffed out over the years. The party tried to undo the fallout of the December 2024 verdict of the Akal Takht by electing Sukhbir Badal as its legitimate leader, but nothing much has changed in its favour at the grassroots. There remains significant pent-up anger against him. In addition, the drugs case against Bikramjit Singh Majithia has had a demoralising effect on the cadre.The latest division in the SAD will create more uncertainties in Panthic politics, in particular, and Punjab, in general. The party must introspect on what has led to its decline from once being the leading regional party of the country — one that secured greater autonomy for states, ensured more autonomy to the states, restructured Centre-state relations and strengthened democratic and secular values.

The Badal legacy and SAD fragmentation

JAGRUP S SEKHON

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