Giani Raghbir Singh had described the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh from Jathedarship of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in his Facebook post

Editorial: Moral questions raised by Dhami's resignation: Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami’s resignation from the presidency of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is a major political and religious setback for the Badal Akali Dal. This resignation shows how even the party’s loyal leaders are feeling suffocated by the arbitrariness of the party leadership.

Dhami has based his resignation on the recent comments of the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht, Giani Raghbir Singh and has also requested the Jathedar to remove him from the 7-member committee formed to guide the restructuring and membership recruitment drive of the Akali Dal. It is worth mentioning that Giani Raghbir Singh had described the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh from the Jathedarship of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib in his Facebook post as “highly condemnable and unfortunate”.

This post was a direct criticism of the decision of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s internal committee on February 10. Dhami, in a media conference announcing his resignation on Monday, may have justified the procedure for removing Giani Harpreet Singh, but also said that being dedicated to the Akal Takht, he feels that he has no moral right to continue as the president in view of the displeasure expressed by the head of this Takht.

He has sent his resignation to the Int'l Committee because according to the provisions of the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, only the Int'l Committee can accept or reject the resignation of the president. The Int'l Committee is likely to take a decision within 48 hours. However, the reckless manner in which the so-called leadership of the Akali Dal has entangled the party and the Shiromani Committee in crises for the last two and a half months is the height of the decline of Sikh politics.

Dhami was unhappy with the removal of Giani Harpreet Singh, and this was expressed immediately after the meeting of the Interim Committee. Instead of addressing the media himself, he showed that he had a burden on his conscience by quickly slipping out of the SGPC office and leaving the responsibility of publishing the decisions of the Interim Committee to the SGPC Secretary.

His move alone should have made the Akali Dal leadership understand that it should not consider its loyalists as slaves and should refrain from such actions that could be seen as disobedience or contempt of the orders of the Akal Takht. But the Akali leadership is not ready to understand such signals; it is even on the path of shaking the loyalty of the loyalists. Dhami was made the president of the SGPC by his party for four consecutive terms. During this period, he also showed the wisdom to raise Sikh issues on appropriate platforms while remaining within the ambit of his authority and also the ability to take his critics along with him.

This approach, perhaps, did not suit the narrow-minded thinking of the Akali leadership. They are still not ready to understand the reality that implementing the orders of the Akal Takht dated December 2, 2024 with diligence and dedication was an easy and effective way to restore the lost reputation of the Akali Dal. Due to this arrogance, they are continuously making mistakes.

Whether Advocate Dhami's resignation is accepted or rejected; it will be known sooner or later. One thing is clear that his resignation has also dragged the Shiromani Committee into the crisis of the Akali Dal. He is also being advised to remain steadfast in his position and expose the wrong pressures put on him by the party leadership from time to time and to work for the good of the Sikh community by following the path of morality. The final decision is up to him. However, if the setback given by him works to give the Akali leadership a boost, then it will be a happy turn. But is the Badal Dal leadership also in the mood to get a boost?