Thirteen years later, Sukhbir Singh Badal appeared before the Akal Takht Sahib and confessed to the crime(s) when the Akali Dal and the Punjab government were in command under the leadership of his father Parkash Singh Badal. Till now, Sukhbir Singh Badal had been openly saying that the charges against him were a conspiracy against the Akali Dal and the Khalsa Panth. These conspirators want to destroy the Akali Dal.
In fact, not only Parkash Singh Badal’s fifth term as Chief Minister, but almost the entire term after Badal’s third term (1997-2002) was flawed, due to which the trust of the Sikh Panth had gradually eroded from the Akali Dal. Now the situation is such that it will become difficult for the Badal family and its patrons to even sing the songs of their family heritage. If the Akali leadership humbly follows the orders of the Singh Sahibs and walks unitedly in the future, then it will be able to revive the party once again. Bibi Kiranjot Kaur has called the decision of the Akal Takht Sahib to some extent auspicious.
Sikh scholar Gurtej Singh IAS said that it is not right for the Singh Sahibs to form a team for the reconstruction and recruitment of the Akali Dal under the leadership of Harjinder Singh Dhami, the president of the Shiromani Committee, because Dhami’s behavior was in favor of saving the Badal family and the presidency of Sukhbir instead of standing in favor of the Sikh Panth. Bhai Amrit Pal Singh faction, Baba Sarabjot Singh Bedi and leaders of other Panthic organizations should have been included in this committee who could have shaped the Panthic form of the Akali Dal and awakened the Sikh spirit. Incompetent people can never build the Akali heritage. He also said that Sukhbir should have been given political punishment. His charges are the biggest. If Virsa Singh Valtoha can be expelled from the Akali Dal, then why is Sukhbir’s punishment so less?
Sikh historian Dr. Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, while considering the decision of the Akal Takht as a ‘historic, wise and timely decision’, says, “I applaud this decision, all the decisions have been taken with great wisdom and understanding. This decision has exposed the mistakes of the established faction of the Akali Dal and has also kept the interests of the nation in mind. Dr. Dhillon says, “This decision will have a far-reaching impact, it has set an example not only for the current leadership but also for the future leadership, that if they act arbitrarily, the same will happen to them and therefore they will at least think before messing with Sikh principles.”
Senior journalist Jaspal Singh says, “If we talk about Sukhbir Singh Badal’s Akali Dal, everyone was trying to revive it, but the opposite happened because now a new Akali Dal has been formed within 6 months. He says that before this Sukhbir Singh Two confessions have been taken from Badal. This means that the politics of that time has been rejected, the impact of which will go far ahead.
