Politics of survival: Why it’s a do-or-die battle for Sukhbir Badal
Back in 2012, when the Shiromani Akali Dal scripted history by becoming the only party in Punjab by returning to power for the second time in a row, an elated party president Sukhbir Singh Badal had coined the slogan, “Raaj Karange 25 Saal”.
Twelve years later, his party is in complete disarray, Sukhbir has been forced to quit as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief by a punishing edict of the Akal Takht and several senior party leaders have been indicted for religious misconduct during the party’s decade-long rule from 2007-17.
The decree by the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat for the Sikhs — asked the party’s working committee in early December to accept Sukhbir’s resignation and initiate a restructuring drive, for which it constituted a seven-member panel to oversee the proceedings.
The decree stemmed from the demand for the party's reorganisation by a rebel faction of the Akali Dal who wanted the Badal family to loosen its grip over the party and Sukhbir to make way for a new chief.
Despite Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh pushing for the implementation of the edict “in toto”, SAD has refused to, at least for the moment, comply. It has not recognised the Takht’s seven-member panel and said that legal and constitutional provisions prevent it from following the orders of a religious body. Only Sukhbir’s resignation has been offered as a compromise, albeit with much reluctance.
The stand-off with the Akal Takht has thrown two do-or-die challenges before SAD. Political circles are now rife with speculation over Sukhbir’s future and the party’s chances of a political comeback.
Certainly, it will be a long haul. Sukhbir and his party will have to win the trust of the Sikhs, who drifted away from the Akalis in the aftermath of the desecration of religious texts in 2015, when it was in a coalition with the BJP.
Their problems have been augmented by a breakaway faction led by Akali leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala.
The rebels, including former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Jagir Kaur, had earlier made their intentions clear over launching a political outfit if SAD failed to follow the December 2 edict pronounced by the Sikh clergy.
Now, they too have expressed dissent over the party’s move of rejecting the Takht-constituted panel, with Wadala saying Sukhbir’s resignation came too late.
Adding to the Akali Dal’s worries is the proposed launch of a party by supporters of Khalistan sympathiser and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh during a Maghi Mela conference on January 14.
Named as the Shiromani Akali Dal (Anandpur Sahib), the move is being seen as an attempt to grab the Panthic space from SAD.
Moreover, the shrinking of the party’s voter base is another key challenge.
Once a dominant outfit, its tally in the Lok Sabha has been reduced to just one. Only Harsimrat Kaur Badal was able to make it to the lower house of Parliament, winning from Bathinda.
In the 2022 state Assembly poll too, SAD hit another low when its tally was reduced to three from 15 seats it won in the 117-member House in 2017.
Currently, it has only two members left in the Punjab legislative assembly — Ganieve Kaur, wife of SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who is the brother of Harsimrat Badal, and Manpreet Singh Ayali — after its third legislator Sukhwinder Singh Sukhi jumped ship and joined the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Badals’ home district, Muktsar, has abandoned the Badals; the party refused to even contest the recent bypoll in Gidderbaha.
Ayali too has now refused to accept the role of the incharge of party affairs in Rajasthan and has said that he would only follow the Akal Takht’s decree.
Significantly, SAD’s former junior alliance partner BJP managed to get a higher vote share in the Lok Sabha poll. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) too had snapped its ties with SAD ahead of the parliamentary poll last year.
Amid a series of setbacks, the reputation of the Badal family has taken a hit.
The Takht posthumously stripped former CM Parkash Singh Badal of the Fakhr-e-Qaum (Pride of the community) title, seriously denting his reputation.
Today, the two questions facing the Akali Dal are : Will the Sikh community forgive Sukhbir, and what lengths will he go to make a political comeback?
One school of Akali politics argues that SAD will survive and the Badals will continue to retain the capacity to navigate the tough road ahead — but question remains, how long will the comeback take?
Meanwhile, SAD has already announced its plans to begin a month-long membership drive from January 20. The possibility exists that the new delegates may elect Sukhbir as the SAD president again on March 1.
Whether he can still win back the trust of the powerful Sikh community remains an elusive question mark.
Some Sukhbir supporters have launched a campaign on social media with the slogan, “Pehla vi naal si, hun vi naal haan, te aggey vi naal hi rahaange” (we were earlier with you, are still with you, and will remain with you in future too).
A businessman-politician, Sukhbir, in his nearly 28-year political career, has hardly ever expressed disappointment, regret or sorrow over decisions gone wrong or the consequences of decisions gone wrong. Only once did he publicly admit that fielding his father Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi in the 2022 state polls was his biggest mistake.
The senior Badal lost that election to a first-timer, Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, fighting from AAP. At that time, Sukhbir said, “I still get emotional over that. Badal sahib was not even interested in contesting the election this time.”
In most interviews Sukhbir remains positive, insisting no one can take away what is meant for you, both in life and in politics.
The SAD rebel group, of course, has been raising the stakes these days, in the wake of the Akal Takht censure. The rebels say that the Akal Takht’s reprimand is a serious blow to the party and that the public will not accept it.
Sukhbir himself has refused to so far speak publicly, saying he will do so when he addresses the party rank and file during the Maghi Mela conference on January 14 in Muktsar.
Certainly the moment of truth is near, both for Sukhbir Badal and SAD. The next 48 hours will be important.