Akal Takht's Jathedar Gargaj Calls for Panthic Unity Amid Controversial Membership Drive

• Mar 19, 2025

Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj on Tuesday met with members of a panel formed by the temporal seat to oversee a membership drive for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and emphasized the need for Panthic unity.

This development coincided with the launch of the Takht-constituted panel’s membership drive, which has already been dismissed as “fake” by SAD, which is running its own parallel enrolment campaign. The party had earlier alleged that the panel’s membership slips excluded the word ‘Shiromani’ from the party’s name, questioning its legitimacy. However, by Tuesday, the omitted word was reinstated on the membership slips.

The membership drive was initiated in accordance with an Akal Takht decree that led to Sukhbir Badal’s resignation as SAD chief, amid growing demands for party reform following its political setbacks since losing power in 2017. The drive was to be followed by organizational elections to restructure the party, a move strongly opposed by the current leadership, which rejected the Takht panel and launched its own campaign on January 20.

Ongoing Dispute Over the Drive

The previous Akal Takht Jathedar, Giani Raghbir Singh, had continued to push for the panel-led membership drive before he was removed from his position by the SAD-dominated Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) earlier this month.

On Tuesday, Jathedar Gargaj met with panel members, including Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, and Satwant Kaur, after sending them separate invitations. He explained that he had been unable to address the ongoing standoff earlier due to his commitments to the Hola Mohalla festival.

“The purpose of the meeting is to encourage unity among all factions and work towards strengthening Sikh institutions as per the December 2 decree,” Jathedar Gargaj stated. He also mentioned that other Akali Dal factions would be engaged to foster a harmonious environment.

Rebels Await Response from SAD

Gurpartap Singh Wadala, speaking on behalf of the panel, said they had discontinued their Akali Dal Sudhar Lahar movement, a campaign launched by dissident SAD leaders to reform the party, following the Akal Takht’s directive on December 2.

“We halted the Sudhar Lahar to strengthen SAD. The party leadership should also reciprocate in the same manner,” Wadala stated.

Former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who was also involved in the reform movement, expressed readiness for Panthic unity but said they were still awaiting a response from SAD.

Panel Launches Membership Drive at Golden Temple

Despite the controversy, the panel officially commenced its membership drive from the Golden Temple entrance plaza, following an ardas at the Akal Takht.

No membership fee was charged from those joining the party under this drive. The ardas was performed by former Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, one of the five high Sikh priests who had issued the December 2 decree.

Harpreet Singh, who was removed from his position by the SGPC on February 10 over allegations of “moral misconduct”, defended the legitimacy of the drive.

“How can a membership drive ordered by the Akal Takht committee be considered illegal? This should be seen through the Sikh principle of ‘Panj Pardhani’, with only five members intact as per the Akal Takht’s directives,” he asserted.

SAD Leadership Reaches Out to Rebels

Meanwhile, SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder reiterated his call for rebel Akali leaders to rejoin the party’s official membership drive, aligning with Jathedar Gargaj’s appeal for Panthic unity.

“Jathedar Sahib had earlier called for unity during his Hola Mohalla address. It is our duty to make every effort to honor this directive,” Bhunder stated.

The ongoing rift within SAD highlights the deepening divide over leadership and party reform, as efforts continue to bring together different factions under a unified front.