After its worst defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is making a comeback to radical politics. But the party’s latest efforts for the premature release of Sikh political prisoners appear to be stalling.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had recently constituted an 11-member committee to take up the issue of release of Sikh political prisoners. Members of the committee include SAD leader Sukhbir Badal and his staunch opponent in the past and the president of the party (Amritsar), known for its controversial extremist ideology, Simranjit Singh Mann.
For Sukhbir, after being shaken by the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) victory in the Punjab elections, the issue of Sikh prisoners and joining hands with Mann was seen as an attempt to gain relevance in the state’s politics by raising hard-line issues. Even for the by-election to Sangrur parliamentary constituency, Badal had called upon all the religious organizations to field a joint candidate.
Ironically, it was the Akali government in 2015 that cracked down on Sikh leaders, including Simranjit Mann, for holding the Sarbat Khalsa (assembly of Sikhs) on the outskirts of Amritsar. A SAD leader said, “He knew that raising religious issues would be the only way to get back into the political arena, which has ousted his party.”
According to sources, Sukhbir was facing challenges not only from outside but also from within the party regarding his leadership. Perhaps this is why he chose to “engage” with controversial religious organizations.
But before he could succeed, differences surfaced. Haryana State Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGPC) chairman Baljit Singh Daduwal has opposed the inclusion of Sukhbir in the 11-member panel.
More importantly, after the initial “reconciliation”, differences have emerged between Mann and Badal. Ignoring the pleas of the joint candidate, Mann decided to file his nomination papers for the Sangrur election, leading to the adoption of Balwant Singh Rajoana, a death-row prisoner, to contest the election as an Akali Dal candidate. Sister Kamaldeep Kaur was forced to give the mandate.
Observers say that though Sukhbir was desperate to raise cult issues to remain politically relevant, more than just optics would be needed to stop the tsunami of anger against his party in the state.
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