Giani Harpreet Singh interview: ‘Someone within the party wants to damage Sukhbir Badal’

In an interview with The Indian Express Tuesday, Harpreet Singh talked about the controversy over the December 2, 2024, decision on the atonement of SAD president Sukhbir Badal and others who were declared religiously guilty, the process of the decision taken and his plans.

Edited excerpts:

Q. What is your defence on the allegations against you apart from denying them?

Giani Harpreet Singh: The allegations were made to assassinate my character. The most important thing is that SGPC conducted a probe into these allegations in 2008 as well. A probe committee was formed, and questioned not only me but also my neighbours, relatives, friends, and colleagues. I was absolved from these allegations. Then I was made Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar and given charge as acting Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib. Would SGPC have offered me such posts if they found even an iota of truth in these allegations? SGPC denied these allegations in the first place. These fake allegations are not the reasons but an excuse to remove me.

Q. What is your conflict with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and SGPC about?

Giani Harpreet Singh: What I have understood so far is that someone from within the SAD wants to damage Sukhbir Singh Badal. There has not been a single decision that has been taken for the good of the party in recent times. I don’t know if Sukhbir Singh Badal is unable to understand it or if he can’t do much about it. Who told the party that it should go against the Akal Takht Sahib? Can you explain how my removal or not running the membership drive according to Akal Takht Sahib’s directions benefits the party or Sukhbir Singh Badal?

Some leaders claiming to be in favour of Sukhbir Singh Badal built a narrative in advance that decisions from the Akal Takht would end Sukhbir politically. Were they making ground for the political assassination of Sukhbir? Were they trying to put ideas into the people’s minds that Sukhbir would be finished politically with whatever decision Akal Takht would take?

Q. But the allegation against you is that the December 2 pronouncement from Sri Akal Takht Sahib was to damage Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Giani Harpreet Singh: What Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders confessed before Sri Akal Takht Sahib should have been done long ago. But they tried to avoid it and contested many elections. In every election, their vote percentage went down. The party came to a point where some senior leaders rebelled. What Sukhbir Singh Badal and others confessed to Sri Akal Takht Sahib was already known. There was nothing new. But the community forgives when someone confesses with pure heart and following Akal Takht Sahib’s orders would have benefited the party. It was to revive the party and not to destroy it.

A majority of the members in the seven-member committee that Akal Takht formed to start a membership drive were from the SAD itself. These members were not from Pakistan. Only one of the members was a rebel. If they don’t trust SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, one of its two MLAs Manpreet Singh Ayali, Iqbal Singh Jhunda who was party candidate in Sangrur, former SGPC president and Parkash Singh Badal’s close confidant Kirpal Singh Bandugar then how can they blame anyone else? All these committee members are those who worked for the SAD all their lives — except a woman member who comes from a respected family in the community. The party has now committed a grave mistake by standing against Akal Takht Sahib’s directions. Akal Takht never takes decisions with a vendetta. It is always for reconciliation and in good faith.

Q. Giani Raghbir Singh is Akal Takht Jathedar. But the allegations are that you were the architect of the pronouncement.

Giani Harpreet Singh: Decisions at Akal Takht Sahib are always taken unanimously. It was not just me or Giani Raghbir Singh. There is always a jury of five at the Akal Takht and if even one of them objects, a decision cannot be reached. All the other four members of the jury have high integrity and credibility. At the end of the day, we all were technically employees of SGPC. The SAD controls SGPC. But at that time, we were serving the almighty and we only fear the Guru. So, calling me the architect of the decision taken on December 2 is childish.

Q. If all jury members took this decision, why are you the only one who is being targeted?

Giani Harpreet Singh: I enjoyed very good relations with the former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Bandugar, Gobind Singh Longowal, and Bibi Jagir Kaur. The change in the relationship came when Harjinder Singh Dhami became the president in 2022. I used to write letters to the SGPC president on various issues. When Dhami came, Akal Takht was asked to not write letters directly to Dhami but to his PA. Slowly, SGPC stopped replying to communication. In the meantime, the coordination with SAD was also spoiled by some people. I don’t know what happened, and a few people in SAD started targeting me. I think the current developments are also in the same league.

Q. Has Sukhbir Singh Badal ever called you and asked to do something and you declined?

Giani Harpreet Singh: Yes, it happened on two or three occasions that he called me to do something and I declined. But every time, at a later stage, Sukhbir Singh Badal admitted that I was right in not doing what he had asked. Sukhbir wanted me to summon Delhi Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee President Harmeet Singh Kalka over his political dispute with the SAD. I told Sukhbir Singh Badal that it wouldn’t be right for Akal Takht to summon one faction over a political dispute. Sukhbir Singh Badal later told me that it was right for me to not summon Kalka. I had better coordination with Sukhbir Singh Badal before Dhami became president. Earlier, he used to take my advice on religious matters.

Q. You have alleged that Jathedars are often removed unceremoniously. But you were also made Akal Takht Jathedar through the same system.

Giani Harpreet Singh: Initially, I was made Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar. I had declined when it was announced that I would have charge as acting Jathedar of Akal Takht in 2018. I immediately called then-president Gobind Singh Longowal that I was not ready for this. Because nobody wanted to take charge at Akal Takht Sahib in those circumstances. I knew that SGPC had offered many big personalities and scholars to become Jathedar but all had declined due to harm former Jatehdar Gurbachan Singh caused to the post.

The Akal Takht can never be harmed but the position of Jathedar was badly harmed at that time because of the manners in which Dera Sirsa’s head was pardoned. So, I was also not ready. But then many SGPC members came to me and requested me to accept the post. When I took charge, people were sending bangles in post to Jathedar. This was how bad the situation was. Many Jathedars were removed before me. Because as a Jatehdar, you have to work for the community and not for a leader. I gave the statement that SAD has become the party of landlords. It was a party of poor, working class, farmers, and labourers. Maybe such statements went against me.

Q. So were you, too, made a Jatehdar without any criteria?

Giani Harpreet Singh: There is no criteria. Former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti had made a draft on making criteria for the selection of Jathedars, and submitted it to SGPC in 2008. Immediately after taking over charge of Akal Takht Jatehdar, I sent a reminder to SGPC and asked it to act on the draft to make a rule. I sent the second reminder in 2022. But someone wants to keep all the powers of appointments in their pocket.

Q. When did you last talk to Giani Raghbir Singh? He rejected the SGPC probe against you and accepted your clarification. Do you think he will stand by that?

Giani Harpreet Singh: I talked to him today. I can understand that he must be under immense pressure and I don’t want to put Jathedar Sahib in a tight spot by making any comment. I can understand his position as I also worked on the same post. He was also threatened. All parties have IT wings. But the kind of abusive language that the SAD IT wing used against Jathedar has no parallels. If the SAD will not respect Jathedars then should we expect the Congress, BJP or AAP to do that? Sikh politics was based on ethics. But those ethics are not there in Sikh politicians any more. Personal interests are more important for politicians than the community.

Q. You attended the weddings of Raghav Chaddha and former CM Charanjit Singh Channi’s son. You met Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It was taken as an offence by the SAD.

Giani Harpreet Singh: Not just the SAD but a few people started objecting to my meetings with leaders of other parties. AAP leader and Punjabi Hindu Raghav’s family organised a religious function for his wedding so I must attend. Women recited the Sukhmani Sahib (Sikh scripture) at the wedding. There was nothing wrong with it. If Akali leaders can attend the wedding ceremonies of Congress and BJP leaders then what is wrong in attending the wedding of Charanjit Singh Channi’s son? I met Amit Shah to discuss community issues. They made an issue out of it.

Q. Don’t you think, amid this war between Sikh personalities and Sikh institutions, the community would suffer?

Giani Harpreet Singh: It is true. In my initial years, I restored the credibility of a Jathedar’s post. Many Sikh organisations had stopped reaching out to Jathedars. After I took charge, slowly almost all the organisations restored their connection with Jathedar. During my foreign tours, it also helped Akali leaders reconnect with people. Then we worked on many things including the idea of establishing a Sikh Education Board, a Sikh bank, and Khalsa currency. We were working on many things and then I was removed.

Q. Are you going to join politics?

Giani Harpreet Singh: Politics is not my subject. My subject is religion and I will work in that direction. I have completed my PhD work. I have learned how to conduct research and have published research papers. I will not complete the formalities to submit it at Punjabi University… But I will definitely publish my work.