Decode Politics: Why Akali Dal rebels are gunning for Sukhbir Badal and how his loyalists are fighting back

What led to revolt against Sukhbir?

In the multi-cornered battle in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, the Akali Dal, contesting separately from its erstwhile ally BJP, faced another rout as it managed to win just one seat out of 13 as against the Congress’s seven and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s three, with the remaining two seats won by Independent candidates – radical preacher Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa (son of Indira Gandhi assassin Beant Singh) from Faridkot.

The only seat the Akali Dal could win was Bathinda, Badals’ home turf, from where Harsimrat Kaur, wife of Sukhbir, was elected for the fourth consecutive term. What added insult to the party’s injury was that ten of its candidates ended up losing security deposits.

Expressing concern that the SAD’s core support base has drifted away during Sukhbir’s presidentship, ex-MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, once-Badal loyalist Sikander Singh Maluka, former SGPC president Jagir Kaur, among other prominent Akali faces, held a meeting in Jalandhar, which passed a resolution demanding that Sukhbir should show “spirit of sacrifice” and step down in view of the sentiments of people.

The premises of the SAD rebels’ huddle, which belonged to Barjinder Singh Hamdard of the Ajit group of newspapers, has also triggered a buzz about Hamdard’s possible role in the unfolding developments, although a senior Akali leader ruled it out.

How is this rebellion different?

Akali veterans Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and late Ranjit Singh Brahmpura were among the first group of party leaders who had come out in open against Sukhbir after the party’s debacle in the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, when the Congress clinched it and returned to power. The ruling SAD, which had an alliance with the BJP then, won just 15 seats out of 117 as against the Congress’s 77, with new player AAP emerging as the principal Opposition with 20 seats.

There was said to be resentment against the panthic party over the incidents of sacrilege and its government’s “inability” to bring the guilty to book.

Dhindsa and Brahmpura floated their own breakaway factions of the Akali Dal before merging them as the SAD (Sanyukt). However, adopting an “iron hand and velvet gloves” approach, Sukhbir managed to keep his grip over the party and later even succeeded in getting Brahampura and Dhindsa back into its fold.

While Brahampura returned to the SAD in the run-up to 2022 Punjab polls, Dhindsa followed suit ahead of the recent Lok Sabha polls.

Former Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee (SGPC) president and three-time MLA Jagir Kaur, too, was persuaded to return to party recently after her expulsion for anti-party activities in November 2022.

The current revolt, however, seems to be more organised and larger in scale with several Akali leaders including Prem Singh Chandumajra, Sikander Singh Maluka and Gurpartap Singh Wadala joinng Dhindsa and Jagir Kaur to demand changes in the party’s top leadership. The rebels also include leaders from the families of several Akali stalwarts who have passed away, such as Master Tara Singh, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Jagdev Singh Talwandi and Surjit Singh Barnala. They have announced “Akali Dal Bachao Muhim” (Save Akali Dal campaign) to reconnect with those Sikhs who they believe have stopped supporting the party under Sukhbir’s leadership.

Who are key Akali dissidents?

Chandumajra, who lost the Lok Sabha election from Anandpur Sahib, has been upset over the SAD’s statement that a resolution “reposing full faith” in Sukhbir’s leadership had been passed in the core committee meeting held after the poll rout.

Maluka, who had signed the expulsion of Jagir Kaur in November 2022 as the chief of the SAD’s disciplinary committee, was removed from his post recently. His daughter-in-law Parampal Kaur Sidhu contested on the BJP ticket from Bathinda in the Lok Sabha polls. While Maluka stayed away from it, he put out a video message ahead of the elections, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Another SAD leader who participated in the rebels’ meeting in Jalandhar is former Punjab finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. An aspirant for the party ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, Parminder and his father Dhindsa stayed away from the party’s poll campaign as it fielded Iqbal Singh Jhundan from the seat.

Apart from Chandumajra, Maluka and Dhindsa, dissident SAD leaders such as Jagir Kaur, Surjit Singh Rakhra and Gurpartap Singh Wadala are the members of the party’s core committee.

Who are standing by Sukhbir?

Several staunch loyalists of the Badal family – including former Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder, party spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema and senior party leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal – are among the SAD leaders who have continued to rally behind Sukhbir’s leadership. They have launched a counter-attack on the party rebels, dismissing their demand to seek Sukhbir’s resignation as of “no value”.

Grewal has sought to highlight the SAD constitution to point out that the powers to appoint or remove party president are vested in three main bodies – the party’s district units, its delegates and the working committee.

In two back-to-back meetings of the SAD district presidents and constituency in-charges on Tuesday, a resolution was passed hailing Sukhbir for his “clear headed, far-sighted and resolute leadership”.

Bhunder has recently replaced Maluka as the SAD disciplinary committee chief. Cheema contested unsuccessfully from the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. Others who are standing by Sukhbir include Jhundan, the chief of the SAD panel which recommended the party’s overhaul after its drubbings in the 2017 and 2022 Punjab Assembly elections.

In the 2022 polls, the AAP had stormed to power by sweeping the state, bagging 92 seats as against the Congress’s 18, with the SAD tally plunging further to just 3.

Akali leaders, Virsa Singh Valtoha, Sohan Singh Thandal and Anil Joshi, who lost the Lok Sabha polls from Khadoor Sahib, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar respectively, were also among those present during the press conference held by Badal loyalists Tuesday to debunk the rebels.

Meanwhile, in a boost to Sukhbir, the SAD working committee on Wednesday passed a “special resolution”, authorising him to reconstitute and restructure the party as per its constitution.

How is SAD crisis playing out?

The Badal family’s loyalists are blaming the BJP for the SAD’s crisis. Former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Paramjit Singh Sarna, a party core committee member, has termed the rebellion as “Operation Lotus”. Harsimrat has called the rebels alleged “stooges” of the BJP.

Several state leaders of the Congress as well as the BJP believe that the SAD plays a “pivotal role” in checking the emergence of the Sikh radicalism in the sensitive, border state. They even say that due to a weakened Akali Dal, Sikh “hardliners” like Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa went on to win their seats.