The participation of orthodox Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal in the two-day “Hind di Chadar” programme held to commemorate the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur at Nanded in BJP-ruled Maharashtra has ruffled feathers in Punjab.
A senior Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member said the Taksal platform was being “used as a tool” by the BJP to woo Sikhs ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly polls.
He said Taksal chief Harnam Singh Khalsa Dhuma’s position was “being misused” by the BJP political strategists through its Rashtriya Sikh Sangat (RSS) wing.
Could have been avoided: Shiromani Akali Dal
“He should have understood and avoided it,” he added.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema was measured in his response.
“The SAD seldom has any political interest in Maharashtra. Khalsa is the chief of the Damdami Taksal, which organises religious programmes. It was his prerogative to participate in a religious programme elsewhere in the country and overseas.” he said. The SAD controls the SGPC and was an alliance partner of the BJP till 2020, when it snapped its decades-old ties over the now-withdrawn central farm laws.
Meant to unite Sikh sects: Harnam Singh Khalsa Dhuma
Khalsa said the programme was meant to“unite and bring the neglected Sikh sects to the community fold, a task that was otherwise supposed to be done by the SGPC and the SAD. “The Sikh community is not limited to Punjab. With the help of the Maharashtra Government, the endeavour was to bring various sects of Nanak naam leva community to the mainstream, which included Sikligars, Sindhis and Banjaras, who remain oblivious of the SGPC or SAD agenda,” he said.
SGPC, Akali Dal feel insecure: BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala
BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala said Khalsa’s “continuous support to the BJP would be beneficial for the Sikhs as a whole”. “The SAD and the SGPC felt a sense of insecurity knowing that Khalsa can now take up Sikh issues directly with the Centre,” he said.
The event was held from January 24 to 25 in Nanded, where the Takht Sri Hazoor Sahib — one of the five Sikh temporal seats — is situated.
Headquartered in Amritsar’s Mehta, the Damdami Taksal was once led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale