Exit jathedar, enter SAD course correction

THE CHARGE OF THIS FIREFIGHTING EXERCISE IS IN THE HANDS OF THE SENIOR BADAL

CHANDIGARH : Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh’s resignation has set the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on a course correction. The orchestrators of this change, Akali patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, hope to douse the simmering anger among Sikhs, that is being exploited by radical protesters in Bargari.

Sukhbir is seen as the man behind the pardon to the Sirsa head, Gurmeet Ram Rahim. The jathedar, though, remained in the eye of the storm for “executing the orders”. For now, though, the charge of this firefighting exercise is in the hands of the senior Badal. Last week, he had held closed-door meetings with his confidantes.

The move comes at a time when things have gone from bad to worse for the SAD. Its taksali leaders Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Rattan Singh Ajnala have dissented against the top leadership. The party’s second-in-command secretary general, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, has also resigned from the post.

‘CAN’T LOSE MORE TIME’

With crowds swelling at the Bargari protest site, Badal understands that the party cannot lose more time in beginning rapprochement. “Much damage has already been done because the party’s core panthic strength has already moved out and is assembling in Bargari, we can’t wait any longer, so efforts must be made to bring them back,” said a party leader.

The next corrective step would be the appointment of a new incumbent head of the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The SAD has the majority of its members in the committee and thus controls the decision-making from outside.

“A beginning has been made and this is the only way for the Badals, to wriggle themselves and the Akali Dal out of the present crisis,” said Sikh historian Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon.

He added that the Sikh panth needed an honest and upright person to head the temporal seat who can take hard decisions, even summoning the Badals to the Takht.

PARTY DIVIDED ON SEEKING FORGIVENESS

Today, the Akali top brass is divided on surrendering before the Takht to seek forgiveness. The older lot is strongly for seeking forgiveness and following the Sikh tenets. The younger leadership feels that such a move will be akin to accepting that the party was a partner in crime.

A senior leader, on the condition of anonymity, said when the party was in the last legs of its tenure in the government, they had planned for Badal senior to seek forgiveness from the Akal Takht for sacrilege.

“He was stopped from doing this at the last moment. It was a blunder. The party has no option, other than approaching the Takht,” the leader added.

SUKHBIR MEETING SGPC MEMBERS

To keep the flock together, Sukhbir has started meeting each member of the SGPC that has scheduled its annual general body meeting on November 13 to elect the committee president. “The party fears dissent from some members and even senior leaders due to the present political and religious situation,” said an SGPC member, on the condition of anonymity.