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Journalism of Courage
Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami on Wednesday was elected president of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandak Committee (SGPC) for the second time in a row. In doing so, the SGPC member from Sham Churasi constituency in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, has won a high-profile electoral battle against Bibi Jagir Kaur, as proxy for the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) president Sukhbir Singh Badal in the SGPC house.
Despite a long stint in politics, Dhami is one of the few SAD leaders who are noncontroversial. He has been a SGPC member since 1996, and has also served as the SGPC general secretary in the past.
Dhami was gradually elevated to the post of president by SAD(B) in 2021. Before that, the SGPC general house had appointed Dhami as its honorary chief secretary. Born in 1956, Dhami holds a BA and a LLB degree. For the last 40 years, he has been involved in the legal profession, and has been voluntarily fighting the cases of Sikh militants.
He also enjoys good relations outside the SAD(B). Dal Khalsa, a separatist party, is known for its anti-Badal stance. Yet, Dal Khalsa’s only SGPC member and former militant Kulbir Singh Bada Pind sought parole for one day to cast his vote in favour of Dhami. “Dhami had represented Kulbir Singh Bada Pind in militancy-related cases. So he wanted to come out and vote for Dhami. He is back in jail now,” said a Dal Khalsa leader.
In the past, Dhami has represented many Sikh militants in courts, earning respect in Sikh circles across party lines. His previous year-long tenure was controversy-free. That said, he also did not take any big decisions, especially in the context of challenges ahead of the SGPC and the SAD(B). Unlike his predecessor, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Dhami has also never expressed his opinion on disputed religious issues within the community.
With the departure of Bibi Jagir Kaur from the SAD(B), he has become the most experienced SAD(B) member within the SGPC, though it is yet to be seen if he emerges as a popular leader for the party, especially with SGPC elections—which are conducted by the Union and state governments—due soon.
The SGPC has been struggling to win back the confidence of the Sikh community. Though Dhami is not accused of making any further dent in its credibility, his biggest challenge is to improve the functioning and image of the body in the eyes of the community at large, without which, his clean image wouldn’t be of any use to the SAD(B), which is struggling to keep its folks together.
Critics say that Dhami gave the SGPC bureaucracy a free run in his first year as president. It would be interesting to see if he manages to rein in the bureaucracy in his second year.
