Shiromani Akali Dal | |
---|---|
President | Sukhbir Singh Badal |
Lok Sabha Leader | Harsimrat Kaur Badal |
Founded | 14 December 1920 |
Headquarters | Block #6, Madhya Marg Sector 28, Chandigarh |
Newspaper | Akali Awaaz |
Student wing | Student Organisation of India [1] |
Youth wing | Youth Akali Dal |
Women's wing | Istri Akali Dal [2] |
Labour wing | Shiromani Akali Dal SC wing [3] |
Peasant's wing | Shiromani Akali Dal BC wing [4] |
Ideology | Punjabiyat [5] [6] [7] [8] Punjabi nationalism [9] [10] Conservatism [11] [12] Federalism [13] [14] |
Political position | Centre-right [15] [16] |
Colours | Navy Blue & Saffron |
ECI Status | State Party [17] |
Alliance | SAD+BSP (2021-2023) SAD+INLD (2021-Present) National Democratic Alliance (1998–2020) |
Seats in Lok Sabha | 2 / 543 |
Seats in Rajya Sabha | 0 / 245 |
Seats in Punjab Legislative Assembly | 3 / 117 |
Election symbol | |
Website | |
www | |
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: Supreme Army of God) is a centre-right Sikh-centric state political party in Punjab, India. The party is the second-oldest in India, after Congress, being founded in 1920. [18] [19] [20] Although there are many parties with the description Akali Dal, the party that is recognized as "Shiromani Akali Dal" by the Election Commission of India is the one led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party has a moderate Punjabi agenda. [21] On 26 September 2020, they left the NDA over the farm bills. [22]
Akali Dal was formed on 14 December 1920 as a task force of the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the Sikh religious body. The Akali Dal considers itself the principal representative of Sikhs. Sardar Sarmukh Singh Chubbal was the first president of a unified proper Akali Dal, but it became popular under Master Tara Singh. [23] Akali movement influenced 30 new Punjabi newspapers launched between 1920 and 1925. [24]
In the provincial election of 1937, the Akali Dal won 10 seats. The Khalsa Nationalists won 11 seats and joined the coalition government headed by the Unionist leader Sikander Hyat Khan. The Akalis sat in opposition and made occasional forays into reaching an understanding with the Muslim League, which never reached fruition. [25]
In the provincial election of 1946, the Akali Dal won 22 seats and joined the coalition government headed by the Unionist Khizar Hayat Khan Tiwana, along with the Indian National Congress. The Muslim League was unable to capture power, despite having won the largest number of seats, which perhaps suited it fine as it strengthened its Pakistan demand. The Muslim League launched a civil disobedience campaign, bringing down the Tiwana government by March 1947. The rest of the period till Indian independence was filled by Governor's Rule. [26]
As with other Sikh organisations, Master Tara Singh and his Akali Dal strongly opposed the partition of Punjab, which he thought would create an environment of possible persecution as they supported the idea of “Azad Punjab”(Free Punjab). [27]
In the 1950s, the party launched the Punjabi Suba movement, demanding a state with majority of Punjabi speaking people, out of undivided East Punjab under the leadership of Sant Fateh Singh. [28] In 1966, the present Punjab was formed. Akali Dal came to power in the new Punjab in March 1967, [29] but early governments didn't live long due to internal conflicts and power struggles within the party. Later, party strengthened and party governments completed full term.
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa along with other Akali leaders came together at a Gurdwara in Ludhiana on July 7, 2020 to re-establish SAD (D).Dhindsa was chosen as president of the revived political party. He claimed SAD (D) as the true Shiromani Akali Dal and that the one so called was taken over by the Badal family. [30]
Prior to this in late 2018, expelled senior members of Shiromani Akali Dal Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, their relatives and others had formed SAD (T). [31] The reasoning of the expelling was due to their accusations of the Badal family steering Shiromani Akali Dal in the wrong path.
Ahead of the 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, both SAD (T) and SAD (D) were dissolved to be merged together into a new political party by the name of Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). This party entered into the National Democratic Alliance to contest the Punjab elections alongside the candidates of Bharatiya Janata Party.[ citation needed ]
Shiromani Akali Dal's main goals are the protection of Sikh rights, Punjab's waters, and opposition to the Sutlej Yamuna link canal. [32]
In 1996, at a historic conference in Moga, Shiromani Akali Dal adopted a moderate Punjabi agenda and shifted party headquarters from Amritsar to Chandigarh. [33]
Following is the list of presidents of the party as given on party website.
S. No. | Name | Portrait | Term Start | Term End |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sarmukh Singh Jhabal | ? | 14 December 1920 | ? |
2 | Kharak Singh | ? | ? | |
3 | Master Tara Singh | ? | ? | |
4 | Gopal Singh Qaumi | ? | ? | |
5 | Tara Singh Thethar | ? | ? | ? |
6 | Teja Singh Akarpuri | ? | ? | |
7 | Babu Labh Singh | ? | ? | ? |
8 | Udham Singh Nagoke | ? | ? | |
9 | Giani Kartar Singh | ? | ? | ? |
10 | Pritam Singh Gojran (Gujjran Sangrur) | ? | ? | ? |
11 | Hukam Singh | ? | ? | |
12 | Fateh Singh | ? | ? | ? |
13 | Achar Singh | ? | ? | ? |
14 | Bhupinder Singh | ? | ? | ? |
15 | Mohan Singh Tur | ? | ? | |
16 | Jagdev Singh Talwandi | ? | ? | |
17 | Harchand Singh Longowal | ? | 20 August 1985 | |
18 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 27 September 1985 | 1996 | |
19 | Parkash Singh Badal | 1996 | 2008 | |
20 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 2008 | Incumbent |
House | Current Members | Leader |
---|---|---|
Union Parliament | ||
Lok Sabha | 2 | Harsimrat Kaur Badal |
State Legislature | ||
Punjab Legislative Assembly | 3/117 | Manpreet Singh Ayali |
Chief Ministers | In office |
---|---|
Gurnam Singh | (17 February 1969 – 27 March 1970) |
Parkash Singh Badal | (27 March 1970 – 14 June 1971) |
( 20 June 1977 – 17 February 1980) | |
(12 February 1997 – 26 February 2002) | |
(1 March 2007 – 16 March 2017) | |
Surjit Singh Barnala | (29 September 1985 – 11 June 1987) |
Provincial Assembly elections | ||
---|---|---|
Election Year | Seats won | Change |
1937 | 11 | |
1946 | 20 | 9 |
Legislative Assembly elections | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Election Year | Leader | seats contested | seats won | +/- in seats | Overall votes | % of overall votes | +/- in vote share | Sitting side |
1952 | Gopal Singh Khalsa | 48 | 13 | 13 | 620,455 | 12.44 | 12.44 | Left (Opposition) |
1957 | Contested with Congress and 28 Akali leaders won. [35] | |||||||
1962 | Gurnam Singh | 46 | 16 | 16 | 799,925 | 11.87 | 11.87 | Left (Opposition) |
1967 | Sant Fateh Singh (SFSG) | 59 | 24 | 24 | 871,742 | 20.48 | 20.48 | Left (Opposition) |
Master Tara Singh (MTSG) | 61 | 2 | 2 | 178,746 | 4.20 | 4.20 | ||
1969 | Gurnam Singh | 65 | 43 | 43 | 1,381,916 | 29.36 | 29.36 | Right (Government) |
1972 | Jaswinder Singh Brar | 72 | 24 | 19 | 1,344,437 | 27.64 | 1.72 | Left (Opposition) |
1977 | Parkash Singh Badal | 70 | 58 | 34 | 1,776,602 | 31.41 | 3.8 | Right (Government) |
1980 | Harchand Singh Longowal | 73 | 37 | 21 | 1,683,266 | 26.92 | 4.49 | Left (Opposition) |
1985 | Surjit Singh Barnala | 100 | 73 | 23 | 2,630,270 | 38.01 | 11.09 | Right (Government) |
1992 | Bycotted the elections [36] [37] [38] | |||||||
1997 | Parkash Singh Badal | 92 | 75 | 75 | 3,873,099 | 37.64 | 37.64 | Right (Government) |
2002 | 41 | 34 | 3,196,924 | 31.08 | 6.56 | Left (Opposition) | ||
2007 | 93 | 48 | 7 | 4,689,018 | 37.09 | 6.01 | Right (Government) | |
2012 | 94 | 56 | 8 | 4,828,612 | 34.73 | 2.36 | Right (Government) | |
2017 | 15 | 41 | 3,898,161 | 25.2 | 9.4 | Left (Opposition) | ||
2022 | Sukhbir Singh Badal | 97 | 3 | 12 | 2,861,286 | 18.38 | 6.86 | Left (Opposition) |
Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra was a president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 1 April 2004 at the age of 79. He remained the head of the SGPC for a record 27 years, and was one of the most influential and controversial Sikh leaders of the 20th century.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh. SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic), was splinter group of the Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal. SAD(D) was formed in 1996 under the leadership of Kuldip Singh Wadala who would become the first president of the party. The party for a couple of years allied with various political parties across India that had similar platforms to challenge governments on certain issues. Ahead of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, SAD(D) had re-merged with the Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal again.
Simranjit Singh Mann is a former Indian Police Service officer and a Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022. He is known as a Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.
Tara Singh was a Sikh political and religious figure in India in the first half of the 20th century. He was instrumental in organising the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee and guiding the Sikhs during the partition of Punjab, which he sometimes opposed, however much of his life he advocated simply for a “Azad Punjab”(Free Punjab) before demanding the independent nation of “Sikhistan” prior to partition.
Sunder Singh Lyallpuri was a leading Sikh member of the Indian independence movement, a general of the Akali Movement, an educationist, and journalist. Lyallpuri played a key role in the development of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and in the Gurdwara Reform Movement of the early 1920s and also founding member of Central Sikh League. He took part in several roles in the establishment and growth of Indians independence.
Harjinder Singh Dilgeer is a Sikh historian and author known for his work as the only author who has written A Complete History of the Sikhs.
Sadhu Singh Bhaura was a Sikh missionary who served as the 21st Jathedar of the Akal Takht from 1964 to 1980.
Sewa Singh Sekhwan was an Indian Politician and a member of Aam Aadami Party. He was one of the founding members of Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali). He was the Education minister of Punjab under the ten-year government of Shiromani Akali Dal. He was sworn in as a cabinet minister for the second time on 26 October 2009. Sekhwan's father Ujagar Singh Sekhwan was MLA from Kahnuwan in 1977 and 1980. He was founder of a group supporting Indian minorities and Dalits front. He remained the president of Akali Dal during the Emergency in India.
Parminder Singh Dhindsa is an Indian politician and belongs to the Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) Political Party. He was a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal until late 2019. He is currently MLA from Lehra and was leader of Shiromani Akali Dal Legislature group in Punjab Legislative Assembly until he quit. He was Minister for Finance & Planning (2012-2017) and Minister for Public Works (B&R) (2007-2012) in the previous Punjab Government. He is son of Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. He was first elected as MLA of Sunam in September 2000 by defeating Parmeshwari Devi of Congress during the by-election. He was re-elected as an MLA for the fifth consecutive term in 2017 with his tenure since 2000 to 2012 from Sunam and from 2017 onwards from Lehra Constituency. He is triumphant in his entire career since 2000.
The Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, also known as the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), is an organization responsible for the upkeep of Sikh Gurdwara in Haryana, India. It was formally formed on 11 July 2014 by the bill was passed by Haryana Legislative Assembly. Before this the Gurdwaras of Haryana were officially under Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). HSGPC is headquartered at Kurukshetra.
Sukhbir Singh Badal is an Indian politician and businessman who served twice as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and is currently the president of Shiromani Akali Dal, along with being a member of Parliament from the Firozpur Lok Sabha constituency. He is the son of Parkash Singh Badal, who has served five times as the Chief Minister of Punjab. He holds lots of power over the Sikh organizations of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. A businessman at heart, Badal and his family have ownership stakes in an array of businesses- including real estate, transport and other activities.
Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) was an Indian political party which was formed by Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Rattan Singh Ajnala and Sewa Singh Sekhwan on 16 December 2018. On 4 November 2018, Shiromani Akali Dal expelled Sewa Singh Sekhwan the former Punjab Minister and then on 12 November 2018 expelled Ranjit Singh Brahmpura MP from Khadoor Sahib (Lok Sabha constituency), Rattan Singh Ajnala former MP, Ravinder Singh Brahmpura and Amarpal Singh Ajnala from the party.
Jagdev Singh Talwandi was an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1978 as a member of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. Talwandi was elected SAD president in 1978 and 1988. He became the President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in 2000. He was elected to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha thrice in 1967, 1969, and 1972, and was inducted as a Minister of State for Development and Animal Husbandry in the Gurnam Singh Ministry and the Minister of State for Jails, Sports and Transport in the Parkash Singh Badal government. He represented Punjab in the Rajya Sabha from 1980 to 1986.
Udham Singh Nagoke was a freedom fighter, Jathedar of Akal Takht and member of Rajya Sabha.
Mohan Singh Nagoke was a politician from Punjab, freedom fighter and former Jathedar of Akal Takhat Sahib.
Ishar Singh Majhail (1901-1977) was an Indian politician and legislator from Punjab.
Bawa Harkrishan Singh was a politician from Punjab and freedom fighter.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) (SAD(S)) (translation: Supreme Akali Party (United)) was a centre-right Sikh-centric political party in Punjab, India, formed by former Shiromani Akali Dal leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.
Ranjit Singh Talwandi was an Indian politician who was the Secretary General of Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt). He served as Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Raikot (2002-2007). He was son of Jagdev Singh Talwandi, former president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Shiromani Akali Dal.
The precursor to the present-day SAD was an organization established in December 1920 to help guide the quasi-militant Akali movement of the early 1920s, in which Sikhs demanded and (through the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925) won from the ruling British authorities in India control over the gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). The present-day SAD, which has claimed to be the oldest regional political party in India, has also controlled Sikh religious institutions such as the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) and, more recently, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee.
No sooner was it made public than the Sikhs launched a virulent campaign against the Lahore Resolution. Pakistan was portrayed as a possible return to an unhappy past when Sikhs were persecuted and Muslims the persecutor. Public speeches by various Sikh political leaders on the subject of Pakistan invariably raised images of atrocities committed by Muslims on Sikhs and of the martyrdom of their gurus and heroes. Reactions to the Lahore Resolution were uniformly negative and Sikh leaders of all political persuasions made it clear that Pakistan would be 'wholeheartedly resisted'. The Shiromani Akali Dal, the party with a substantial following amongst the rural Sikhs, organized several well-attended conferences in Lahore to condemn the Muslim League. Master Tara Singh, leader of the Akali Dal, declared that his party would fight Pakistan 'tooth and nail'. Not be outdone, other Sikh political organizations, rival to the Akali Dal, namely the Central Khalsa Young Men Union and the moderate and loyalist Chief Khalsa Dewan, declared in equally strong language their unequivocal opposition to the Pakistan scheme.