The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has seen repeated dissent since its formation in 1920, but most revolts failed to pose any serious challenge to the parent party.
The latest example was SAD (Punarsurjit), a breakaway Akali Dal led by Giani Harpreet Singh. Within five months of its much-talked-about formation, the faction collapsed. Its candidates failed to make any mark in the recently held zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections.
The faction had earlier performed listlessly in the Tarn Taran byelection and the annual general assembly of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) held on November 3 to elect its president. There was, therefore, little surprise when Giani Harpreet Singh offered to step down as the party head.
Hailed as a maverick who entered politics from theology, the onus on him was enormous, as he headed a faction of the Akali Dal formed after a five-member committee appointed by the Akal Takht unanimously elected him president.
Six months after being sacked as Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo after a probe found him guilty of misconduct, Harpreet Singh stood opposite his bete noire Sukhbir Singh Badal, challenging him on his turf. This prompted him to project his faction as the “original” Akali Dal by claiming that it was constituted on the directions of Akal Takht.
In a boost to his claim, Bibi Jagir Kaur and Gobind Singh Longowal, both former SGPC presidents, along with senior Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra, were present during his appointment, signalling support from prominent Akali leaders.
Amarjit Singh, former director of the Centre for Studies in Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Nanak Dev University, said several Akali factions had emerged in the past, including those led by the late Surjit Singh Barnala, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Ranjit Singh Brahmpura. This Akali Dal, he said, was different as it was constituted on Takht’s directions.
Among the most prominent revolts was that of Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who parted ways with the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD in December 1998, only to bury the hatchet in 2003. Badal had removed Tohra as SGPC chief in 1999 and expelled him from the SAD, prompting him to form the Sarb Hind SAD. In the February 2002 Assembly elections, Badal’s SAD suffered a drubbing, while Tohra’s faction failed to win a single seat. The two sides reconciled the following year.
Earlier, a similar feud played out between Sant Harchand Singh Longowal and Jagdev Singh Talwandi during 1980-82, while differences emerged between Master Tara Singh and Sant Fateh Singh in 1962. Another major revolt occurred in 1994 when, in the name of Panthic unity, heads of eight splinter Akali factions submitted their resignations to the then Akal Takht Jathedar, while Parkash Singh Badal did not