Rumblings in Akali Dal: Why are party leaders upset with Sukhbir Badal?

Rumblings in Akali Dal: Why are party leaders upset with Sukhbir Badal?

Listen to Story A rebellion against Shiromani Akali Dal supremo Sukhbir Singh Badal by 60 senior party leaders has exposed fissures within the Sikh-centric political party. Discontent within Punjab's oldest regional party had been brewing since the Lok Sabha elections, in which 10 out of 13 party nominees forfeited their deposits. On Tuesday, the 60 leaders met and held a press conference in Jalandhar. They spoke about the party's poor performance in the 2022 Assembly and 2024 general elections under Sukhbir Badal's leadership, demanding his removal as party chief. "There was a discussion regarding what we lost and gained in the past. The party workers and well-wishers are worried about how to rise from the situation we are in. The party president does not listen to us or make an effort to overcome the shortcomings," said Jagir Kaur, one of the party dissidents present at the conference. Interestingly, it is not just Jagir Kaur but many other senior leaders, including trusted aides of the late Parkash Singh Badal, like Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Prem Singh Chandumajara, and Sikandar Singh Maluka, who have asked Sukhbir Badal to step down. The SAD's disgruntled leaders, appealing to the present chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to respect their sentiments, have announced the formation of a committee to search for a new party chief. Prem Singh Chandumajra, a senior Akali Dal functionary present in Jalandhar, announced that the disgruntled party leaders would meet at the Akal Takht Sahib secretariat on July 1st and launch the 'Shiromani Akali Dal Bachao' campaign to reestablish its lost grandeur. "Akali Dal's popularity is on the wane. We have decided to seek atonement before Sri Akal Takht Sahib for our past lapses. We are also forming a committee to select a personality who will lead us. We will appeal to Sukhbir Badal to respect the emotions of the people and help strengthen the Shiromani Akali Dal," he said. The demand to replace Sukhbir Badal was first raised in 2022 after the 13-member Jhunda Committee, headed by Iqbal Singh Jhunda, suggested a change of leadership, a one-family-one-MLA formula, and a two-year term for the party president. This is not the first time the Shiromani Akali Dal has headed for a split. The party has a history of splits and mergers. On May 30, 1999, the late Guru Charan Singh Tohra formed the Sarv Hind Akali Dal after being expelled from the SAD. This outfit later reconciled with the SAD in 2003. In 2004, Surjit Kaur Barnala launched the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longoval). Prem Singh Chandumajra joined this splinter group after being denied a ticket by the SAD (Badal). He later returned to the SAD fold in 2007, paving the way for the party's merger with the SAD. However, the splinter group again split from the SAD and merged into the INC in 2014. On December 16, 2018, the late Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Ratan Singh Ajnala, and Seva Singh Sekhawan formed the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) after being expelled from the party on November 12, 2018. Another lieutenant of Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, and his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa established the Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) in 2020. The Dhindsas were annoyed with the Badals and accused them of ruining the party. In an interesting development, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and the late Ranjit Singh Brahmpura formed the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sayunkt) in 2020 by merging their respective parties. SAD Sayunkt was later merged into the Akali Dal on March 5, 2024. Political analyst Prof. Ashutosh Kumar says that Sukhbir Badal was unable to fill the void left by the demise of Parkash Singh Badal. Hardliner Khalistanis punched holes in SAD's agenda and won two Lok Sabha seats. The party's poor performance in Lok Sabha elections is also attributed to dissidence sparked by ticket distribution. Many senior party leaders like the Dhindsas were annoyed after being denied a party ticket. Harsimrat Kaur Badal's brother Bikram Singh Majithia's silence over the dissidence and the expulsion of Sukhbir Badal's brother-in-law Adesh Pratap Singh Kairon also speaks volumes about the discontent within the family. Keeping the flock together will be a real trial by fire for SAD supremo Sukhbir Badal. Late Parkash Singh Badal was known for his ability to quell dissidence. He would call each disgruntled leader his son (kaka) and pacify them easily. He left a void. The dissidence within the party after his demise has become a major challenge for Sukhbir Badal, who is facing a real trial by fire. Leaders of Badal's camp claim his position in the party is still strong, as party leaders have announced their support for him. Party leaders, including Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, have hinted that the party is contemplating strict action against the dissidents. "The whole party is with Sukhbir Badal. The BJP stooges were behind the dissidence. This is a conspiracy. Everybody knows they are doing this to please the BJP. Whatever they did in Maharashtra, they are attempting in Punjab. They will not succeed in their sinister designs," said party MP and Sukhbir Badal's wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal. Harsimrat Badal claimed that out of 117 segment in-charges, 112 were with Sukhbir Badal. "These are five people (dissidents), one of whom had a family member contest the Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket (Maluka), and a madam (Jagir Kaur) who contested the SGPC election on BJP directions. The brother of the third (Rakhra) is with the BJP. The fourth has been making serious efforts to join the BJP," she said.