Restrictions on Dhadrianwale go as Damdami Taksal's influence wanes, conversions grow
, who was given a pardon and had five-year-old restrictions imposed on his congregations lifted by the
on Wednesday, was the most influential Sikh preacher and would attract thousands to his congregations until an attempt was made on his life in May 2016, during which a fellow preacher was killed.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
He was also among the main Sikh preachers who led protests over
in Oct 2015, which, along with the Behbal Kalan police firing incident, became the biggest reason for SAD and Badals losing ground on the Panthic turf, the one which started with SAD losing the 2017 assembly elections.
It later emerged that Dhadrianwale was attacked by
followers amid bitter statements between him and taksal chief Baba Harnam Singh Dhumma.
Later, the taksal and a few others took exception to Dhadrianwale's interpretation of the Gurbani and Sikh history, and complained to the Akal Takht. He even faced threats of physical harm by some groups opposing him.
Subsequently, a directive was issued against his congregations, and Dhadrianwale confined his congregations to his dera near Patiala.
Taksal had an alliance with the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal and wielded major influence in taking decisions of major Sikh institutions, including the Sikh high priests and SGPC.
Even as SAD, and especially Badals, faced the heat on the issue of sacrilege, Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing, and other issues, the taksal and the Sant Samaj led by Dhumma openly supported SAD in assembly and parliamentary elections.
During these years of turmoil within the Sikh religio-political sphere, conversions by Christian pastors also became a huge issue. Though these were a statewide phenomenon, they especially increased in Majha.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
There was a feeling in Sikh circles that unshackling Dhadrianwale after reconciliation could help counter conversions, as he not only attracted huge numbers but, despite restrictions placed on him, also attracted an online response, including among non-Sikhs.
Equations changed in the last few months within Sikh institutions, after Dhumma extended support to the BJP-led Mahayuti in the Maharashtra assembly elections.
Dhumma's support to BJP came even as the Sukhbir-led SAD alleged that the RSS and BJP were taking control of major Sikh bodies in Punjab and were behind trouble within SAD.
There were some bitter statements by a few SAD leaders, followed by counters from the taksal's spokespersons, and then things cooled down.
However, after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) executive committee sacked the jathedars of Akal Takht and Kesgarh Sahib, leading to huge turmoil in the panth, Dhumma launched a frontal attack on Sukhbir.
After holding a meeting at Anandpur Sahib on March 14, he announced plans to hold a protest outside the SGPC head office in Amritsar during the SGPC's general body meeting.
At this juncture, SAD accused Dhumma of collusion with BJP, branding him a "tool of the central govt and agencies".
On Wednesday, after his appearance, Dhadrianwale also underlined the issue of conversions and the dire need for dharam parchar (
). Akal Takht acting jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj has been strongly underlining the issue of conversions. MSID:: 121320083 413 |
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
SGPC condemns denial of entry to Sikh sarpanch at Red Fort over kripan
Amritsar: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami has strongly condemned the alleged denial of entry to Amritdhari Sikh sarpanch Gurdhian Singh at the Independence Day event held at the Red Fort on Aug 15. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite being invited as a special guest, Gurdhian Singh was reportedly stopped from entering the venue for having a kirpan, a sacred symbol of the Sikh faith. In a statement issued on Sunday, Dhami expressed deep concern over the incident, stating that preventing an invited Sikh guest from participating in a national event because of his religious symbol reflects a disturbing attitude of alienation towards Sikhs in their own country. He described the act as a manifestation of an anti-Sikh mentality and a violation of religious freedom. Dhami emphasised that such actions not only hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community but also undermine the principles of inclusivity and respect enshrined in the Constitution.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Assam Government Evicts 309 Families From 23 Hectares Of Land
Tezpur: The Assam government on Sunday began an eviction drive in Biswanath district, displacing 309 families, officials said. The eviction drive was started in the morning to clear encroachment on nearly 175 bigha or 23 hectare of land in the Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) in Japariguri, they said. "The eviction drive is going on peacefully. There were 309 families who had encroached on 175 bigha of land. Notices were issued to them on August 1 to vacate the areas within 15 days," District Commissioner Simanta Kumar Das said. He said all the families have already left the area, and many of them had dismantled their houses. "We demolished the remaining houses. There was also one big tea garden. That is being dismantled now for the forestation drive later," he said. The DC said 600 security personnel were deployed, and 20 excavators, along with dozens of tractors, were used during the eviction drive. The encroachers were mostly from the Bengali-speaking Muslim community, another official said. Visiting the site, All Assam Minority Students' Union (AAMSU) General Secretary Kuddus Ali Sarkar alleged that the Himanta Biswa Sarma government has been evicting people in an "inhuman manner". "We demand an immediate halt to the eviction drive. Unless people are rehabilitated properly, no eviction should take place," he said. Supporting the state government's steps to evict encroachments on public land, several ethnic organisations have started 'Miya Kheda Andolan' (movement to drive out Miyas) in the state. 'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance. In his Independence Day speech, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that "aggression" has changed the demography of lower and central Assam, and now efforts are being made for it in upper and north Assam, in an apparent reference to the community.
Hans India
4 hours ago
- Hans India
Khalistani terrorist Pannun's endorsement of Trump's tariffs not pro-Punjab but betrayal: Report
Pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's support for US President Donald Trump's increased tariffs on Indian exports and even suggesting a 500 per cent hike aligns with economic harm to the Sikh community and implies that his anti-India theatrics take precedence over Sikh well-being, a report said. "For a man who claims to champion Sikh rights, backing a policy that directly threatens the lifeblood of Punjab's hardworking Sikh farmers and dairy workers is nothing short of bewildering. Or worse: hypocritical," the Khalsa Vox report stated. His support for Trump's tariffs is "not pro-Sikh, pro-Punjab" but a betrayal, it added. Punjab's economy relies mainly on agriculture and dairy. Its products, including basmati rice, textiles and processed foods, form an important chunk of India's exports to the US. The tariffs imposed by Trump would make these products expensive in the US markets. Furthermore, if India opens its agricultural markets due to tariffs, the American dairy and farm giants will enter Indian markets. Supported by heavy subsidies, American dairy and farm giants can undercut small-scale Sikh farmers of Punjab and cooperatives like Amul, according to the report. This does not have an economic impact only, but it also poses a threat to cultural traditions that link Sikh identity to the land and farming. The report said: "Consider the dairy sector, the quiet backbone of Punjab. Generations of Sikh families rely on it for sustenance and stability. If US dairy giants take over, what happens to these small farmers? The promise of Sikh self-reliance, often invoked by Pannun himself, collapses under the weight of cheap imports." Exports predict a 40-50 per cent reduction in Indian exports to the US if tariffs increase, and the Sikh community will be impacted the most. Khalsa Vox, in the report, stated: "Pannun's position exposes a troubling contradiction. His rhetoric drips with anti-India fervour, but his policy stance aligns squarely with economic harm to Sikhs themselves. By cheering on a trade war that undermines Punjab's farmers, he prioritises political vendettas over community upliftment. If his loyalty truly lies with Punjab, why endorse policies that jeopardise Sikh livelihoods? The answer seems plain: for Pannun, anti-India theatrics take precedence over Sikh well-being." Punjab's future lies in policies that protect farmers, bolster dairy cooperatives, and ensure fair trade and not in political grandstanding that sacrifices livelihoods for personal agendas, it said. "Pannun's endorsement of Trump's tariffs is not pro-Sikh. It is not pro-Punjab. It is, at its core, a betrayal."
