Peace formula behind averting clash on Operation Bluestar anniversary: Backroom parleys; the upshot: Upper hand for Taksal chief, some sympathy for Gargaj

Time of India

19 hours ago

Jalandhar: For a full week during the 41st anniversary of the Army action at Darbar Sahib, a possible clash involving major Sikh institutions or groups on June 6 gripped the Sikh community's mind and remained the central talking point.
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The community heaved a huge sigh of relief as it passed peacefully on Friday. Even as the entire crisis arose from within the top of the religio-political establishment, its peaceful passing was projected as a major achievement by those at the helm of affairs.
However, it has also become clear that it is an uneasy truce and has left a strong element of bitterness, notwithstanding the 'positive messaging' by contesting sides and by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami.
For once, Damdami Taksal chief Baba Balbir Singh Dhumma, who warned that Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj would not be allowed to speak or honour the families of the 'martyrs', got the upper hand as both his points prevailed. But later reactions on the Sikh social media space reflected that this edge for Baba Dhumma was not visible in the larger perception battle. Rather, Gargaj taking a step back and giving his 'message' through the ardas he performed to avert the clash helped him gain an element of sympathy.
This element of soft talk about him by a section of the Sikh netizens, including those who are otherwise critical of SAD president
, reflects some shift in the perception battle, given the huge backlash from the community against the unceremonious sacking of two Takht jathedars three months back by the SGPC, allegedly at Sukhbir's behest. There is still strong disapproval for the way jathedars were sacked for political reasons, and for that, Sukhbir's camp is being criticised.
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However, that is not translating into disapproval for Gargaj in equal measure.
Rather, the element of sympathy for him, which became visible later in the day, can be a matter of concern for those who want his ouster from Akal Takht.
It is learnt that behind-the-scenes desperate parleys were held to work out the formula to avert a direct clash until Thursday night. Former SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder, along with a trusted aide of Sukhbir Singh Badal, was talking to both sides.
Sources said initially Gargaj put his foot down. SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, known for his proximity to Taksal, was keen to avert the clash and to protect the Taksal chief's prestige at the same time.
After rounds of parleys, Baba Dhumma's point prevailed. However, his tough stance on Gargaj has already raised the stakes for him extremely high, and now the continuation of the acting jathedar at the post can become a sore point for him.
At the same time, in this round, Sukhbir has ceded space to Dhumma, even as his party leaders accused the latter of working at the behest of central agencies. He would be facing further pressure as the Taksal chief has already announced plans to stage a dharna outside his residence every month.
After the vertical split in SAD, Sukhbir has faced another situation where the SAD leaders, with dual loyalty to Taksal and him, made it clear that their first loyalty was to taksal and everything else came after it. They openly issued statements to oppose Gargaj. This posed another challenge for him. They issued statements to support the taksal chief, even as the dissenting SAD leaders, who are posing the main challenge to Sukhbir, stayed silent during the entire controversy and did not take any sides.
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