Akali Dal Research Articles

Book review: Amarjit Singh Narang, Region, Religion and Politics: Hundred Years of Shiromani Akali Dal

Amarjit Singh Narang, Region, Religion and Politics: Hundred Years of Shiromani Akali Dal, New Delhi: Manohar Publishers & Distributors 2022, 411 pp., ₹1995. ISBN: 9789391928230 (Hardback).

Revisiting Punjab’s Transformative Journey, 1947-1966: An Appraisal

"Punjab, often referred to as the 'Land of five rivers,' has been a significant player in shaping India's historical narrative, leaving an enduring mark on its trajectory. This imprint stems from the courageous and patriotic endeavours of the people of Punjab, who have etched out a distinctive place for themselves. A comprehensive study of its people becomes imperative to comprehend the nuanced dynamics of Punjab's history. This involves delving into their historical, cultural, and religious roots and understanding their political legacy. The year 1947 marked India's liberation from British rule, coinciding with a partition based on the two-nation theory. Punjab bore a heavy toll during this partition, experiencing substantial human and territorial losses. The partition's catastrophic aftermath overshadowed the jubilation of independence for Punjab. Post-partition, Punjab portrayed a sombre and bleak landscape, with the migration of refugees significantly altering the communal composition of the region. This migration upheaved the administrative, economic, and political structures, introducing many complex challenges. The division of Punjab along communal lines generated a palpable sense of indignation and frustration among the Sikh community. The expectations of establishing a Sikh State in independent India, fervently supported by Sikh, Congress, and Hindu leaders, remained unfulfilled. Perceiving an unequal distribution of territory between Hindus and Muslims, the Sikhs advocated for a Punjabi Suba. In their pursuit of this objective, the Akali Dal employed diverse strategies. This culminated in the reorganisation of Punjab on March 21, 1966, leading to its further trifurcation."

Revisiting Punjab’s Transformative Journey: 1947 to 1966

Punjab, the “Land of five rivers”, has played a major role in the history of India and had left a deep imprint on the course of Indian History. This imprint on Indian History is due to the people of Punjab, who through their courage and patriotism have carved out an important place for themselves. To understand the nature and dynamics of Punjab history in its true perspective, it is important to study the people of Punjab; their historical, cultural and religious background and their political heritage. In 1947, India got Independence from the British rule and at the same time it was partitioned on the on the basis of two nation theory. In this partition Punjab had to pay a heavy price both in term of human and territorial loss. The joy and achievement of independence for Punjab was marred by the holocaust of partition. After partition Punjab presented a very gloomy and downright dismal picture. Migration of refugees significantly altered the communal composition of Indian Punjab. It also shook the administrative, economic and political machinery of the province to its foundation and brought in its wake a host complicated problems. The division of Punjab on communal lines spread a sense of indignation and frustration among the Sikhs because the hopes of creating a Sikh State in Independent India rose by the Sikh leaders and supported by the congress and Hindu leaders had not been fulfilled. The Sikhs felt that they had been given a raw deal in the distribution of territory between the Hindus and the Muslims giving the expression to this feeling hence the demand for a Punjabi Suba was made and in its struggle for the achievement of Punjabi Suba, the Akali Dal employed a variety of strategies, due to which on 21st March 1966 reorganization of the Punjab took place and Punjab was further trifurcated.

Breaking Hegemony of Traditional Political Parties: A Study of Shifting Dalits’ Support Base in Punjab

The present study is an analysis of Dalits’ shifting support base among major political parties in Punjab, namely Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and specifically Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2022 Punjab Assembly election. With an established presence in the State, the AAP could present itself as a new alternative. The AAP defeated all the traditional/mainstream political parties in the recent Assembly election to put an end to the deeply entrenched family (SAD-Badal) and dynastic rule (Congress). The present research paper is an effort to find out the causes behind the shifting Dalit support base. The AAP’s success was a clear message from the people of Punjab that they were fed up with the power circle of traditional parties that were in agreement with each other to rule the State by turns. Paper argues that Dalits are likely to vote for the parties that have a chance to come to power as in 2022 Punjab Assembly Election, Dalit support base has widely shifted to AAP. The study was qualitative and conducted in the Doaba region of Punjab. It is an analysis of the interactions with 300 respondents of the targeted SCs population and 30 leaders from the major political parties in Punjab.

Brave Children’s Day: The Sikh Version in the General Indian Context

The article examines the reaction and discussion in the Sikh environment to the decision of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce a new all-Indian Holiday Veer Baal Diwas (“Brave Children’s Day”), which will be celebrated every December 26 starting from 2022 in memory of the martyrdom of the Sons of the Tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The article analyzes the historical context of the plot related to the refusal of the younger Sons of Guru – Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh to save their lives by adopting Islam and renouncing Sikhism, loyalty to Guru and Dharma. The initiative of the Prime Minister, with its general positive perception, divided the Sikhs into supporters of the unconditional acceptance of the concept of a new Holiday and those who supported the critical approach of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Sikh political party Akali Dal, who considered the name of the Holiday unacceptable and at odds with the Sikh religious tradition. If there is no correction of the name of the Veer Baal Diwas Holiday, then it is appropriate to predict an explosion of discontent and criticism from the relevant political and religious forces and the part of the Sikh community that has joined them.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Politics of Non-violence: A Perspective of Passive Resilience, 1920-1930

This article examines the emergence of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) among rural middle and lower middle-class Sikhs with the objectives of reforms in gurdwaras management along with to preserve separate Sikh identity, stop Sikhs conversion and popular representation of Sikhs through non-violent means during 1920-1930. SAD avoided to merge into national level Non-Cooperation movement and remained successful to achieve its initial goals. This article, based on revealing the fresh sources drawn from the Punjab Archives Lahore and Lahore Museum Library argues that initially a pure religious reformist movement emerged with popular support continued the strategy of nonviolence even after the acceptance of major demands in the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925. SAD’s nonviolence strategy was also influenced by other Sikh organizations like Khalsa Diwan, Central Sikh League and external forces, like Indian National Congress (INC), All India Muslim League (AIML), the Unionist Party, Non-Cooperation movement and Khilafat movement at different scale. The British Indian government initially tried to handle the Sikh resistance through Sikh elites, gurdwara mahatns and colonial Punjab administration but SAD’s nonviolent response forced the government to mend their ways and finally introduced the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925.

Shiromani Akali Dal During 1925-1937: Transition from Religious Reformist Movement to A Sikh Political Party

Shiromani Akali Dal During 1925-1937: Transition from Religious Reformist Movement to A Sikh Political Party

Community, Nation and Region: Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD) and the Politics of Community Formation

This article relies on a historical sociology approach to trace the shifting trajectory of community formation and the forging of boundaries through three discrete though corresponding imaginaries— panth (community) , qaum (nation) and punjabiyat (regional identity)—in the Sikh political narrative. The emergence of each of these grand ideas of Sikh solidity has a history putatively inter-laced with the social make up and political economy of its time. The central object of enquiry for this article is the Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD) and the attempt is to examine the shifting terrain of its religio-political goals and objectives. Since its inception in 1920, the SAD as a political organisation and Shrimoni Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee as the chief ecclesiastical authority, have been the principle bearers of the Sikh religio-political consciousness. The three constitutive imageries of community formation that SAD in particular and Sikh politics in general has fostered, do not betray a linear trajectory. Instead, there is a discernible simultaneity where each of these ideas co-exist, but subject to contextual operationalisation.

A Minority became a Majority in the Punjab

The Punjabi Suba came into being after various sacrifices and struggles. The Indian Government appointed ‘Shah Commission’ to demarcate the boundaries of Punjab and Haryana. The reorganization bill was passed on the basis of recommendations of this committee only. Punjab was divided into two states; Punjabi Suba and Haryana under Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966. Certain areas of undivided Punjab were given to Himachal Pradesh. However, Haryana was raised as a rival to the state of Punjabi language (which was to be made for Punjab). Common links had been made for Punjab and Haryana. Haryana was the area of Hindi-speakers. It could have been easily amalgamated with neighboring Hindi states of Rajasthan and U.P. But, the state of Punjab, which was demanding the areas of Punjabi –speakers, was crippled and made lame as well. Such seeds were sown for its future of economic growth that would not let it move forward. Haryana welcomed the Act of reorganization. But, it was opposed by the Akalis. Sant Fateh Singh threatened to go on `fast unto death` and resort to self-immolation as a protest against it. As a result, the common forums were removed for Haryana and Punjab and Sant Fateh Singh and the Akali Dal welcomed this decision. There was a considerable impact on the political, economic and social conditions of Punjab after the formation of Punjabi Suba. Punjab became a Sikh-majority area. If at all the Punjabi language had been implemented then its entire credit goes to the speakers of Punjabi for the first time.

Factionalism and fissures in the Akali Dal: An analytical periodization of internal political dynamics and historical trends

ABSTRACT This study answers the research question: can any systematic patterns of factionalism and fissures within the Akali Dal be discerned through its organisational history since 1920? I argue that the Akali Dal went through five distinct periods of internal factionalism, each with its own distinct intra-party and leadership dynamics. Furthermore, I argue that factions, fissures, and mergers within Akali Dal emerge due to the political competition between individual Akali leaders, their changing ideological positions due to this competition, and the prevailing political circumstances which dictate the parameters of their ideological flexibility within Sikh and Punjab politics.

Ideological and caste-based challenges to Sikh political and religious institutions: The Shiromani Akali Dal and SGPC’s strategies of co-option and ‘management’ in a fragmented polity

ABSTRACT This paper examines the structures and strategies whereby the Shiromani Akali Dal, along with other Sikh religio-political institutions including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, gains support from social groups outside the realm of coalition politics – that is, the interaction of the SAD with its coalition partner, the BJP. Using the theory of consociationalism as a lens through which to view this process, I argue that the de facto consociational system limits the actions of political parties while creating a unique kind of relationship with those of differing ideologies and identities. Their support is gained and managed through intermediaries rather than formal incorporation.

Shiromani Akali Dal (1920–2020): Ideology, strategy, and support base

ABSTRACT Shiromani Akali Dal, the oldest state party in India, emanated from an ethnic movement launched by the Sikh community in Punjab to take control of their gurdwaras. As an ‘ethnic’ party, it has claimed to be the sole political custodian of the minority Sikh community in India since colonial times. The party has often found itself trapped at the crossroads of region and religion. This explains why it transitioned from pursuing the politics of ‘representation’ in colonial Punjab to the pursuit of ‘a territorial homeland’ for the Sikhs after partition. The Congress’ attempt to deny the reorganisation of the state and subsequently its efforts to weaken the faction ridden Akali Dal, and also the party’s own inability to draw the bulk Sikh votes, compelled the party to pursue cultural and the region-specific autonomist politics which led to the rise of militancy. In the post-militancy era, the party made a comeback as an ‘electoral’ populist party in alliance with the BJP by undergoing a paradigmatic shift from contentious ethnic and anti-centre agenda to peace and development in the state politics based on the concept of Punjabiat. The same period, however, has also witnessed the rise of previously unseen dynastic party leadership .

Post-militancy resurrection of the Akali Dal, and prospects of renewed Sikh identity politics in Punjab

ABSTRACT The Sikhs in Punjab turned against militants in early-1990s, after nature of violence changed from being politically oriented to largely indiscriminate. The Akali Dal guided by desire to remain politically relevant in post-militancy era, wove ideological and electoral strategy around moderate idioms, stressing consociationalism and economic development. Tracing party’s transition to moderation and dominance in post-militancy Sikh politics, I demonstrate that template of moderation began in 1994 when party defied Amritsar Declaration, not in 1996 with often-cited Moga Declaration. The moderate paradigm still remains intact, while recent electoral setbacks may persuade party to return to some refashioned identity politics.

Punjab’s ecological crisis: The Akali Dal, SGPC, and competing democratic and authoritarian approaches to development

ABSTRACT When the 'green revolution' began in Punjab in 1964, Punjab sprang to the front rank of Indian agricultural production. But since about 2000, it has been increasingly clear that the technology is leading to an encompassing ecological disaster. The reason for the change lies in the organizational framework. Born in a spirit of flexible egalitarian democracy, it is now dominated by rigid central authoritarianism that forces farmers to grow one crop rotation for one buyer: wheat and rice for the Food Corporation of India. The SGPC and Akali Dal have had an important role in this transformation. This describes it.

Akali Dal’s Dilemma in relegating an ethnic agenda to moderate politics: An empirical analysis of the dera controversy and sacrilege issue

ABSTRACT The article argues that the moderation of Akali politics brings electoral gains for the party so long as it is in congruence with Sikh ethnic agenda. However, any drive for moderation of ideology beyond marked boundaries, relegating Sikh issues to the backburner has backfired for the party socially and politically. This was demonstrated during the assembly elections (2017) when the party tried to appease Dera Sirsa for electoral considerations, even compromising with Sikh traditions. As a result, the party suffered heavy electoral losses due to Sikh anguish over its soft attitude towards the Dera controversy and desecration of Guru Granth Sahib.

Scheduled castes in the Akali Dal: Mapping their electoral performance and perceptions

ABSTRACT The Shiromani Akali Dal has provided an important platform for the Scheduled Caste community which has been integral to the party's electoral success. This paper empirically shows that share of the SC community in electoral success of the Akali Dal has always remained one-fourth or more since 1962 except 2017 election alongwith better electoral success rate of the SC community leaders. Despite these contributions, the SC community perceives caste discrimination in the party while the Jats and rich families dominate the party. The paper suggests organic integration of the SC community and addressing their grievances in the party.

Ideological basis in the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and the Shiromani Akali Dal: exploring the concept of Guru-Panth

ABSTRACT This article explores the ideological foundations in the formation of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). It begins with the examination of the process of institutionalization from the Kartarpur period to modern times, focusing on the centrality of sacred space in Sikh corporate life. The overall structure, organization, and the underlying arguments of this essay revolve around the evolution of the doctrine of Guru-Panth, referring to two meanings: one, ‘the Panth of the Guru,’ refers to the Sikh community; the other, ‘the Panth as the Guru,’ referring to the Guru-Panth doctrine, which developed from the earlier idea that the Guru is mystically present in the congregation (saṅgat).

Commemorating Baghel Singh’s ‘Conquest’ of Delhi: The Fateh Diwas

This article examines the changing importance, in Sikh history, of Baghel Singh, a Sikh military commander in eighteenth-century Punjab, and the significance of the most recent events commemorating him in Delhi—the Fateh Diwas. The Fateh Diwas was a spectacular event organized for the first time in 2014 at the Red Fort in Delhi, by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD; Badal)-led Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. It celebrated the conquest of Delhi by the Sikhs and the unfurling of the Sikh flag on the Red Fort by Baghel Singh. This claim is significant for its timing, symbolism and the historical legacy it seeks to remember. This representation of Baghel Singh also appears in modern paintings on Sikh history which are widely reproduced in popular spheres and also constitute the display in Sikh museums. A comparison of this particular representation of Baghel Singh with that in the nineteenth-century text, Sri Gur Panth Prakash by Ratan Singh Bhangu, is useful in understanding how Baghel Singh’s role has changed in Sikh history and how is it being deployed in contemporary heritage politics.

Punjab politics: Splits and mergers in the Akali Dal

Punjab politics: Splits and mergers in the Akali Dal

Corruption and Factionalism in Contemporary Punjab: An ethnographic account from rural Malwa

AbstractOver the length of its current tenure, Punjab's Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has sought to become more a socially inclusive party, more responsive to popular demands, and even to improve service delivery and eradicate corruption. However, despite these lofty goals, it has also presided over what people refer to as ‘goonda raj’—a rule of thugs—and has managed to alienate large sections of the population and, in the process, fuelled the rise of the anti-corruption Aam Admi Party in the state. In this article, based on ethnographic fieldwork in rural Malwa, I attempt to shed light on the roots of this contradiction. Is it simply the case, as ordinary people allege, that the SAD's claims are empty and that its members are merely interested in looting the state? Or, alternatively, is it the case that the party merely operates in accordance with Punjab's allegedly time-honoured tradition of rival factions competing to appropriate the spoils of power? I suggest instead that much of the corruption and violence observable at the village level in Punjab has its roots in the antagonistic relationship between the Congress Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal. It is this antagonism that appears to fuel the SAD's highly partisan form of government, and it is partisan government that appears to fuel the corruption and the village-level factional conflict that is documented in this article.