Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has lost its last “jathedar” on Friday. Party’s veteran and former Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi breathed his last on Friday morning at ludhiana’s DMC hospital at the age of 85.
Survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters, Jathedar Talwandi was suffering from a cardiac ailment and had to be put on the life-saving equipment. However, he was said to be improving but breathed his last at 11.10 am.
After him, Akali Dal is left with no other leader of his stature, with a title of jathedar. However, there is no disputing the fact that Badal is one of the last leaders who has witnessed politics from pre-Independence era to the present millennium, but he was not honoured with the title of jathedar, i.e head of the clergy.
Right from serving as the Minister of State in the first non-Congress Government in Punjab in 1967 to wining ludhiana lok Sabha constituency in 1977 with record margin, Jathedar Talwandi was also elected to the Punjab Assembly in 1967, 1969 and 1972 and the lok Sabha in 1977.
Always seen wearing his trademark black turban, he was also elected chief of Sikhs’ mini parliament, SGPC, in 2000 after the then president Bibi Jagir Kaur faced CBI probe in connection to her daughter’s death.Even as Jathedar Talwandi witnessed lot of ups and downs in his lifetime — from being all-powerful to play somewhat subordinate role in Akali Dal, he was known for leading the Sikh morcha to the open session of All India Akali Conference held at ludhiana on October 28-29 October in 1978, known as Anandpur Sahib Resolution.
Despite sharing power at the Centre with Janta Dal government, Jathedar Talwandi, the then SAD chief, asked the Akali minister to put in their papers to present its grievances to the Central Government regarding specific political, economic and social issues including transfer of federally administered city of Chandigarh, and Punjabi speaking and contiguous areas of Punjab, decentralization of states under existing Constitution, limiting Centre’s role, enactment of an all-India Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) Act, among others.
He was also the dictator of Karnal morcha for the restoration of civil liberties in Haryana. He was in the first Jatha against the emergency and courted arrest on July 9, 1975. He spent 19 months in jail.From being the pan-Panthic, SAD, over the period of time, turned into a “family-run business” being run by the Badal family, the party’s prominent faces including Jathedar Talwandi went into oblivion.
People who know Badal well remember how he first promoted politicians with potential and then neutralised them. Prominent ‘friends-turned-foes’ include Jathedar Mohan Singh Tur, Sant Harchand Singh longowal, Surjit Singh Barnala, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, and not to forget Jathedar Talwandi.
SAD — which has always been a religious party catering to the aspirations of the farming community, fighting for the cause of Sikhism, besides Punjab, Panjabi and Panjabiyat — has now turned into a “dynasty party”, and an ‘election winning machinery’.The veteran Akali leader would be cremated at his native village Talwandi, near Raikot, in ludhiana district on Saturday, said his family.
Meanwhile, who’s who of the Punjab politics mourned Jathedar’s demise. Expressing profound sorrow, Badal described him as “one of the tallest pillars of modern times and a great source of strength to him personally, to the SAD, the Panth and Punjab”. “Very few men can match his charisma, determination and his courage to speak his mind on issues concerning the people whom he loved and represented…Jathedar Sahib virtually defined the era to which he belonged. He leaves behind him a void that will be hard to fill,” said Badal.
Badal said: “Throughout his life, Jathedar Talwandi remained the powerful voice of Khalsa Panth, and rightly came to be known as ‘loh Pursh’ – the iron man. Steadfast, strong and uncompromising on Panthic principles, Jathedar Sahib spearheaded the Khalsa Panth and the SAD in various capacities through troubled times, including the movement for Punjabi Suba, the struggle against the Emergency and the Dharam Yudh Morcha.”
Expressing deep shock, Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Badal described his demise as “an irreparable loss to SAD and Sikh panth who have led the party on every front”.Recalling his commendable contribution to SAD, Sukhbir said that he exhibited his unchallenged leadership qualities in each political struggle.
Amritsar MP and former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said: “With the demise of Jathedar Talwandi, one of the very few surviving leaders of the Akali movement has left us…Talwandi, unlike many others, had selflessly served the panth without exploiting his position and power for personal or pecuniary benefits.”
Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa said Jathedar Talwandi was one of those leaders who was totally dedicated to the cause and committed to his beliefs. “His life was a saga of self-less struggle and he always upheld the moral values in political life,” he said.
Punjab Revenue and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia described Jathedar Talwandi “a grass root level leader” who always led from the front to oppose the biased approach of Congress-led Central governments towards Punjab. Mourning his demise, SAD secretary general and MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and SAD secretary and Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema said that Jathedar Talwandi discharged his duties excellently as the president of SAD, SGPC and as MP.