In Punjab, why BJP has been accused of ‘interference in Sikh affairs’

As the BJP increasingly looks to expand in Punjab and grow out of its image of being an urban Hindu party, it is increasingly likely that it will come in conflict with its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Sikh religious establishment on which the Akalis have a hold.

The latest sign came over the weekend as more than 1,000 Sikh leaders, including six elected members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and a former member, joined the BJP in Delhi on Saturday. This immediately drew a swift response from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the national apex body of Sikhs that oversees gurdwara management.

The SGPC — the Badal family that runs the SAD is said to have had a great degree of control on the organisation and its top posts over the decades — accused the BJP of interfering in religious affairs and demanded that the new inductees resign from the DSGMC. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on Saturday said the BJP was on a path of “direct interference in Sikh affairs, which the Sikh community will never accept”.

“The members of the Sikh organisation are elected by the sangat (community) with the confidence that they will act according to the religious sentiments and traditions. But when the members join a party with anti-Sikh ideology, it is natural that the sentiments of the sangat will get hurt,” Dhami said.

The BJP’s move to induct such a large number of Sikh leaders serves the purpose of its immediate goal of dealing the INDIA bloc a blow in Sikh-dominated areas in Delhi Lok Sabha constituencies such as West Delhi, North East Delhi, and Chandni Chowk. It also sends a message to the Sikh community in Punjab that the party has been reaching out to after the hit it has taken