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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Charting a new course: Outspoken Giani Harpreet's journey from jathedar to party chief
Giani Harpreet Singh, 52, who on Monday was elected as the president of the breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), is an outspoken religious leader with good command over panthic matters. Giani Harpreet Singh in Amritsar on Tuesday. The ex-jathedar's elevation came amidst his long-drawn tussle with the Sukhbir Singh Badal camp over his role in the December 2, 2024, decree, which not only declared Sukhbir Singh Badal tankhayia for the mistakes committed by the party during its government from 2007 to 2017 but also revoked Panth Rattan Fakhr-e-Qaum title awarded to late SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. The decree also called for the reorganisation of the party with a change of leadership. Belonging to an economically weaker family, Giani Harpreet started his journey as a religious preacher in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). He joined the SGPC as a preacher in 1997 and assumed charge as head granthi of Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Muktsar Sahib in 1999. Giani Harpreet, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) section of the Sikh community, was appointed as jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib on April 17, 2017, by the SGPC. Before being elevated as Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar, Giani Harpreet was a PhD scholar in the religious studies department of the Punjabi University, Patiala. 'My PhD was in the final stage, but after becoming jathedar, I never went back to complete it', he said. His appointment as acting jathedar of Akal Takht came at a time when the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs was facing a tough time over pardoning of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2015 by then Takht jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh. Giani Gurbachan, who had to revoke the order after a backlash from the Sikh community, was replaced by Giani Harpreet, who was given a mandate to revive the lost sheen of the Takht. An outspoken Sikh clergy, he endeared himself to both pro and anti-Badal camps and regained the trust of the Panth thanks to his command of the panthic traditions and speaking skills. He was hailed by the Sikh segments when he sought a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 2019 and then expressed solidarity with Kashmiri activists on the issue of Article 370 abrogation. He also favoured Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla during his speech at Nankana Sahib and later his speech on the SGPC's 100th foundation day on November 17, 2020, where he made a political pitch for the SAD with its top leaders present on the occasion, raised the hackles of the anti-Badal Sikh section. His failure to toe the Akali line, however, saw his relations with SAD turning sour. SAD leadership was irked over his presence at the wedding ceremony of the then CM Charanjit Singh Channi's son in 2021, and later in 2023, he also attended the engagement of Rajya Sabha Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Raghav Chadha with Bollywood actor Parineeti Chopra at Kapurthala House in New Delhi. The May 2023 appearance at Kapurthala House in Delhi didn't go down well with SAD, which also controls SGPC and Giani Harpreet was replaced by Giani Raghbir Singh. However, he retained the post of Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar. His final showdown with the SAD leadership came on December 2, 2024, when Giani Harpreet played a key role in framing the edict. On December 19 last year, the SAD-controlled SGPC suspended the services of Giani Harpreet Singh and constituted a panel to probe the charges levelled by a person against him. The probe was not only questioned by the Sikh segments but was termed as 'breach of jurisdiction of Akal Takht' by its then jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh. Nearly nine weeks after the pronouncement of the December 2 decree, Giani Harpreet Singh was sacked as Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar by the SGPC. Since then, he has been actively participating in the activities of the breakaway faction led by the Takht panel.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Jolt to Sukhbir as Giani Harpreet's elevation formalises split in SAD
The elevation of Giani Harpreet Singh as head of the breakaway faction has come as a jolt to Sukhbir Singh Badal and has formalised the vertical split in the Akali Dal. The development has also compounded the problems and challenges for Sukhbir, who is trying to revive the party's political fortunes in the wake of a series of poll debacles in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections. After being elected as president of the breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former Takht Damdama Sahib jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh at the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Monday. (Sameer Sehgal/HT) The formation of rebel factions is not a new phenomenon in Akali politics, but the present scenario is different from the past. With the party facing an existential crisis, having been reduced to three MLAs in Vidhan Sabha and lone MP in Lok Sabha, the party leadership despite having atoned for past mistakes after undergoing tankhah, has not been able to come clear from the blame of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib that took place in 2015 when SAD was leading the government. The biggest challenge for Sukhbir would be to negate the criticism from the newly elected president of the breakaway faction led by ex-jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh. Giani Harpreet has been a vocal critic of SAD leadership and, in most of his public addresses, blames Sukhbir for the downfall of the party and the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, Akal Takht. 'Now, as the head of a faction, he has got the legitimate right to speak against the Badals,' said a political observer, who didn't wish to be named. Many in the Akali circles say the breakaway faction has emerged out of the panthic ethos and traditions as mandated by Akal Takht. The faction has taken shape after a genuine process of enrolling members, thus it will make it difficult for the Sukhbir faction to brush away the challenge. Sukhbir was quick to fire the first salvo during a rally against the Punjab government's (now withdrawn) land pooling policy in Patiala. Claiming that Giani Harpreet had conspired to throw him and his family out of the party, Sukhbir said: 'Harpreet Singh has entered into a conspiracy with anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab central agencies to divide and weaken the Khalsa Panth, Punjab and Akali Dal in league with disgruntled elements.' Sukhbir went on to add that a tailor-made complaint was made as part of this plot to throw him out of the panth, and Giani Harpreet has defied the December 2 edict of Akal Takht, which called for unity between the SAD factions. 'It is a known fact that Giani Harpreet unleashed the conspiracy against me even after I had bowed my head before Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and owned full responsibility for any wrong done by anyone during the Akali government. My total surrender before Akal Takhat Sahib had no meaning for him. These elements colluded with the state police to eliminate me physically, and that too when I was performing sewa in the holiest of holy shrines of the Sikh religion, Harmandar Sahib,' Sukhbir said. While SAD leader Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal claimed that Giani Harpeet was always aspiring to become party president since he was Akal Takht jathedar. The other front that the faction has opened up is the formation of the panthic council. While Giani Harpreet will be the political face of the faction, Bibi Satwant Kaur, who was part of the five-member committee, has been made head of the panthic council, a rare experiment in Akali politics. The council mandate is to work with different factions and religious bodies on a common platform and challenge SAD's hegemony in SGPC. Faction eyes showdown during SGPC polls The breakaway faction has roots in incidents of sacrilege of the Guru Granth Sahib in 2015, for which the Badal-led SAD, which was in power, was blamed. The faction is eying the impending SGPC elections as the first challenge to the Badal-led majority in the gurdwara body. Soon after becoming the head, Giani Harpreet Singh announced that the faction would target the upcoming SGPC elections. 'If the faction is victorious, it will mean the end road for Sukhbir-led SAD in Akali politics,' he said. Giani Harpreet also raised apprehensions over the conduct of gurdwara body polls and said, 'If elections are not held, it would mean that the BJP government is colluding with Badal-led SAD.' Giani Harpreet faces leadership test Up until now, Giani Harpreet Singh, while criticising Sukhbir, was just a lone religious figure with no strings attached, but now faces the task of running the party. 'Now, he is supposed to run a party, give vision and manage day-to-day programmes, which is not an easy task,' said a political commentator. According to Amanpreet Singh Gill, a professor of political science in Khalsa College, New Delhi, the question is, how will the new Akali faction under Giani Harpreet Singh win the confidence of Punjabi Hindus and other sections outside the Panthik fold? 'In the absence of such confidence, the party will not be able to emerge as a major player in electoral politics. It will remain as a party with ideology, but without a significant vote share,' he said, adding that it will be interesting to see how the new faction will solve the puzzle of Panth and Punjabiat. (With inputs from Karam Prakash, Patiala)
