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The attraction of powerfulness successful the hands of the Badal household has besides contributed to distancing the enactment from its antiauthoritarian roots.
Nov 20, 2024 04:20 IST First published on: Nov 20, 2024 astatine 04:20 IST
The resignation of Sukhbir Singh Badal arsenic president of the Shiromani Akali Dal, 2 months aft his excommunication by the Akal Takht, marks a pivotal infinitesimal for the country’s oldest determination party. The SAD stands astatine a captious juncture, which whitethorn besides connection it a accidental to reclaim its antiauthoritarian ethos and reconnect with its grassroots. Elevated arsenic president successful 2008 by his father, Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir is accused of presiding implicit the erosion of the party’s enactment successful its Sikh bastion. While helium was initially commended for starring the Akalis to a historical 2nd word successful 2012, his enactment was seen to falter successful the aftermath of the sacrilege incidents of 2015. His arguable relation successful allegedly engineering a pardon for Dera Sacha Sauda main Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and nonaccomplishment to bring the perpetrators of sacrilege to justness alienated the party’s halfway supporters.
The attraction of powerfulness successful the hands of the Badal household has besides contributed to distancing the enactment from its antiauthoritarian roots. What was erstwhile a cadre-driven organisation, led by committed jathedars, devolved into a corporate-like entity dominated by a closed ellipse of loyalists. Under their leadership, the Akali Dal failed to expect the backlash against the workplace laws, which led to its divided with its long-standing ally, the BJP. Formed successful 1996, successful its champion version, this confederation was seen arsenic a guarantor of communal harmony successful Punjab successful the aftermath of the acheronian decennary of militancy. Its interruption besides near the Akalis politically adrift.
The party’s diminution became stark successful 2017, erstwhile it was eclipsed by the then-nascent Aam Aadmi Party successful the assembly elections. By 2022, its fortunes deed stone bottom, securing a specified 3 assembly seats. A fact-finding committee formed to survey the causes of this debacle visited 100-odd villages and held Sukhbir responsible. The Akali Dal’s ballot stock has continued to plummet, with the BJP present outpacing it successful Punjab during the parliamentary elections held successful June and Sukhbir’s caller determination to enactment distant from the upcoming bypolls lone reinforced perceptions of the party’s mediocre standing. Now his resignation comes amid increasing concerns astir the void created by the Akali Dal’s decline. The enactment erstwhile served arsenic a moderating unit successful Punjab, bridging spiritual and governmental divides. In its absence, extremist voices whitethorn beryllium gaining ground, arsenic shown by the predetermination of 2 hardliners successful the past parliamentary polls. The Akali Dal stands astatine a crossroads. The enactment needs to rethink, regroup, heal interior divisions, and retrieve a much spacious and connected politics.
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