Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa’s long journey: Sarpanch to Union minister, Akali Dal stalwart to key rebel

Born in a humble farming family in Ubhawal in 1936, Dhindsa’s journey from being the youngest sarpanch in Sangrur district at 22 to becoming a Union minister was nothing short of extraordinary.

A three-time Rajya Sabha MP, one-time Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur, Dhindsa was seen to be a clean politician who stood by his commitment to principled politics. He had been a member of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led Union Cabinet in the past.

Dhindsa made headlines in 2020 when he said he would return his Padma Bhushan award in solidarity with farmers who were then protesting against the now-repealed central farm laws.

For SAD, which has been grappling with factionalism, electoral losses and a dwindling support base, Dhindsa’s demise signifies a leadership vacuum that may prove difficult to fill – both symbolically and organisationally.

Though Dhindsa was expelled from the SAD twice during his decades-long political career, he commanded respect across party ranks. In the wake of the passing away of Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal in 2023, he was often seen as the glue that kept the party together in times of crises.

Akali Dal conundrum

That Dhindsa’s departure comes at a time when the SAD, once seen as the backbone of Punjab politics and a key representative of Sikh aspirations, is struggling to maintain relevance in the state’s political landscape, is being seen as a blow to the party. Despite his differences with SAD president Sukhbir Badal, son of Parkash Badal, Dhindsa attempted to unify the splintered factions of the SAD – the SAD (Sanyukt) and Sudhaar Lehar – keeping the “larger interests of Punjab” in mind.

In March last year, he merged his breakaway SAD (Sanyukt) with the SAD and was asked by Sukhbir to assume the role of its patriarch.

However, the truce seemed to be short-lived as four months later, Dhindsa quit the party after his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa was denied a Lok Sabha ticket from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat. The father-son duo later became a part of the Sudhaar Lehar. The Sudhaar Lehar was disbanded in December last year on the directions of the Akal Takht.

Though Dhindsa’s SAD (Sanyukt) contested in alliance with Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab Lok Congress and the BJP in the 2022 Assembly polls, he had told The Indian Express in August last year that “The revival of the SAD is our only priority. We will soon unveil the party’s new structure and contest the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) polls. We need to save the 104-year-old party.”

However, the wedge between Dhindsa and the SAD only deepened after Sukhbir was re-elected as president in March this year as the former perceived it to be the party’s failure to democratise and move beyond family-centric politics.

SAD leadership vacuum

Dhindsa’s death coming barely two years after the passing away of Badal senior marks the loss of the SAD’s most seasoned campaigners, who held the authority to mediate in times of internal crises. “Dhindsa ji was the voice of wisdom who worked with Badal senior… Their advice kept the party grounded. His passing away is a blow to the panth as well as the SAD,” rebel SAD leader Charanjit Singh Brar said.

Another rebel SAD leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala admitted that the party faced challenging times. “Whenever the party was in crisis, we could look up to him and seek his advice. His death is a political vacuum for the party,” he said.

While SAD sources admitted that the party’s efforts at reviving are barely bearing any fruits, some of leaders feel that if various party factions bury their differences and put up a united front, it will be a “real tribute” to Dhindsa. “It is high time that SAD leaders set aside their personal ambitions. This will be a real tribute to Dhindsa ji, who always placed public life and panthic interests before himself,” SAD MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali said.

Dhindsa’s last rites

On Thursday, Dhindsa’s mortal remains were brought from Mohali to his residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh, where a stream of mourners—commoners and leaders alike—were seen paying their last respects to him.

Dhindsa’s funeral will take place in his native village Ubhawal in Sangrur district Friday, with his final journey expected to pass through Rajpura, Patiala, Bhawanigarh and Sangrur before reaching Ubhawal.