Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has plunged into crisis. As the countdown for electing the president for Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president has begun, the party is facing a tough challenge and that too from its own rebel Bibi Jagir Kaur.
After serving as the SGPC president for three terms, Bibi Jagir Kaur is pitched against SAD’s official candidate and incumbent Harjinder Singh Dhami in the crucial contest on November 9 (Wednesday).
The emergent critical situation has compelled Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal to issue a last minute appeal to Bibi Jagir Kaur — who has been expelled from the party’s primary membership on Monday — to withdraw her candidature in Dhami’s favour. Sukhbir had also met the SGPC members in Amritsar on Tuesday to gauge their mood at the time when the challenger Bibi Jagir Kaur was claiming support of nearly 90 members. To make things worse, SAD’s two SGPC members have openly announced their support to Bibi Jagir Kaur against the “Sukhbir-controlled SGPC”.
SGPC, the Sikhs’ apex body responsible for the management of gurdwaras in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, has always been SAD’s stronghold. However, the growing voices of dissent against the party’s current leadership, especially Sukhbir Badal, has turned the tide this time.
Ever since the party had gone out of power in Punjab after its decade-long rule in 2017 assembly polls, the murmurs of dissent has grown into boisterous voices against the party leadership till date. And during this period, SAD has seen exodus of several senior and traditional Akalis from the party, with the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal also staying away from active politics owing to his deteriorating health.
Over these years, the party expelled senior Taksali leaders Sewa Singh Sekhwan, Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala and a few others ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections for raising voice against Sukhbir’s leadership and calling for change in leadership. Years later, party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and his MLA son Parminder Singh Dhindsa were also shown the door for publicly questioning the party’s leadership.
Now, Bibi Jagir Kaur is the latest one to be thrown out of the party for publicly speaking against the party’s top brass and the practice of “lifafa culture” in selecting the SGPC president. She has also called upon freeing the SGPC from political influence.
Confident of her win on Wednesday, the former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur claimed that nearly 90 members have already expressed their support to her, and the number may further increase by the time of voting.
Terming her expulsion from SAD “unconstitutional”, Bibi Jagir Kaur said that those leaders expelled her who don’t know how she had worked in strengthening the roots of the party.
“Most of the members are hesitant to come out openly but many of them have expressed their solidarity with me,” said Bibi Jagir Kaur, claiming November 9 elections to be an eye-opener for SAD.
Interestingly, Bibi Jagir Kaur’s confidence is not without any reason. For, SAD’s two SGPC members have openly announced their support to her in Wednesday’s elections. That was not all! They have made an appeal to other SGPC members to vote for SGPC’s first and so far the only woman president to free the SGPC from the political control.
“I would vote for Bibi and I am also requesting all members, with folded hands, to support Bibi Jagir Kaur as it is for the first time that we have got a chance to free the SGPC from SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who wants to run SGPC and SAD as per his wishes without caring for hard working workers and leaders,” said SGPC member from Bhadaur area of Barnala district Baldev Singh Chungha, who was expelled from SAD in March 2022 after he supported the call for leadership change in SAD.
At the same time, he made it clear that he was neither against SAD nor against the SGPC president Dhami. “But as Dhami is not able to take decisions independently, there is a need of change,” he added.
Also joining in, former SAD MLA and SGPC member Balbir Singh Ghunas also supported Bibi Jagir Kaur saying that she was the first one who has taken stand for transparency in the SGPC working.
Meanwhile, Sukhbir Badal has made an appeal to the ‘expelled’ party leader Bibi Jagir Kaur to review her decision to contest against party’s official candidate Dhami.
Sukhbir, who held a meeting with the SGPC members to gauge their mood prior to the polls for president, office-bearers and executive body for the next annual term, asked Bibi Jahir Kaur not to stab at SAD’s back at the behest of ‘outside’ parties, but contribute in strengthening the SGPC and the SAD, as she had been doing earlier.
SAD chief blamed the BJP-led Centre and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) - led Punjab Government of unduly interfering in the Sikh religious affairs and attempting to wrest control of SGPC to weaken the SAD.
“I urge Bibi ji to still rethink on her move in the morning and let Dhami Sahab win unanimously. I appeal to her to not stab at the back of SAD at the behest of Centre government and ‘outside’ parties and agencies which would result in damage to the Sikh Panth,” he said.
After joining SAD in 1995, Bibi Jagir Kaur was elected MLA thrice from Bholath assembly constituency — 1997, 2002, and 2012. She also served as a Cabinet Minister in the Badal government in 2012.
She ran into controversy over her alleged involvement in the murder of her daughter in April 2000. In November 2000, she had to resign from the post of SGPC president. Later, she was sentenced to five years imprisonment. But in December 2018, she was acquitted of all charges.
In 2021-2022, Dhami had replaced Bibi and his tenure as 44th president of the Sikh body remained without any controversy.
SGPC general body meeting will be held in Amritsar on November 9 to elect the president, senior vice-president, junior vice-president and 11 executive members. However, the election would be held only for the post of president as Bibi Jagir Kaur had started doing meetings with the SGPC members on her own. As of now, the contest will be between Dhami and Jagir Kaur.
As per the Sikh Gurdwaras Act, 1925, the SGPC president and other office-bearers have to be elected every year. Generally, the SGPC’s house comprises a total of 191 members, including 15 co-opted members, five Takht Jathedars, and Golden Temple head granthi. While 170 are elected through ballot papers, the 15 co-opted members, jathedars and head granthi have no voting rights.
At present, the House consists of 157 members. As many as 26 members have died, while two — Sucha Singh Langah and Sharanjit Singh — had already resigned from the membership.
During the previous term, a total of 142 votes were polled and 122 were cast in Dhami’s favour.