Opinion Express View: The Sikh clergy must stay clear of fugitive Amritpal Singh’s attempts to link them to his discredited agendas

The jathedar of Akal Takht has been a titular figurehead for a while now. Once considered the supreme leader of the Sikhs across the globe, he was reduced to just another head priest in the years after the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) tightened its stranglehold on the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that appoints the jathedar, post independence. However, the current officiating jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh, now has been thrust onto the centre stage of state politics. Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, a fugitive from the police since March 18, is now hectoring the jathedar to call a grand assembly of the Sikhs — “Sarbat Khalsa” — on Baisakhi ostensibly to discuss the issues facing the community.

Amritpal Singh, 30, has been openly talking about Khalistan since he arrived from Dubai in August last year. He has little support on the ground though his exaggerated sense of self-worth borders on the delusional — he has sought to draw parallels with the 10th Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, in his latest video. Amritpal Singh has framed his call for Sarbat Khalsa as a test of the jathedar’s mettle. Couched in religious vocabulary, Amritpal Singh’s appeal can barely conceal the desperation of a man who is seeking to build some support before the long arm of law catches him. Earlier, he took cover behind the holy Guru Granth Sahib as he led a mob to a police station in Ajnala to free an aide. Only the naive will be swayed by his nefarious designs.

Advertisement

Giani Harpreet Singh, the jathedar of the Akal Takht, finds himself in a sticky spot. He had a run-in with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann recently when he demanded that the state government release the Sikh youth held during the crackdown on Amritpal Singh within 24 hours. The CM had then accused him of pandering to the SAD. The jathedar ought to recall his advice to the SAD — that the party can be revived only if it becomes the voice of the peasantry. The Punjab farmer is busy dealing with bread-and-butter issues. The unseasonal rain that flattened the wheat crop on thousands of acres is a cause of serious worry. His immediate priority is to get some relief from the government. The common citizen is aghast at the lop-sided focus of the state on an individual, who is trying to revive ghosts of the past to gain a following. She has lived the pain of militancy and its aftermath, and does not want a repeat. Yes, there are issues that need to be resolved, but she does not expect the likes of Amritpal Singh to show the way. The Akal Takht jathedar should know this for sure.