Punjabis pardoned Cong after Op Bluestar, hope they forgive SAD too, says Gujral

As top Akali leaders performed sewa at the Golden Temple to atone for their past mistakes, senior party leader Naresh Gujral said he hoped that Punjabis would forgive the Shiromani Akali Dal just as they had pardoned the Congress after Operation Bluestar and 1984 Sikh massacre.

“Punjab has a tradition to forgive and forget. Once an apology is rendered and the offender accepts and performs penance by way of sewa as a humble Sikh, people forgive. Nothing could have been worse than the 1984 massacre of Sikhs or Operation Bluestar and yet the Punjabis, especially the Sikhs re-elected the Congress governments not once but twice,” Gujral told The Tribune a day after Akal Takht held former Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal and other party leaders guilty of violating the Sikh rehat maryada (religious code of conduct) and ordered a set of punishments for them.

Gujral, a former Akali Dal MP, said current events could mark a turning point in the history of Akali Dal which was routed in the 2022 Assembly and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

He said the people were upset with Akali leaders because they had neither accepted nor atoned, despite acceptance and atonement being the basic tenets of Sikh ethos. “Now that Sukhbir Badal and others have repented, I hope Punjab will forgive them. The Sikhs have learnt the lesson of humility from our revered Gurus and the majesty of Akal Takht remains unquestioned,” Gujral added.

He admitted that rebuilding the party would be a humungous task with Akal Takht ordering its reorganisation from primary membership onwards and for the process to be completed in six months. “Every Akali Dal leader irrespective of factions presented themselves before Akal Takht in all humility and accepted their hukma. We will now rebuild the party,” Gujral said.

Mentioning the election of ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh in Lok Sabha, Gujral said Amritpal’s victory mirrored the anxieties of Punjabi youth.

“Delhi is not understanding this. Punjabi youth are angry. There is also a feeling in Punjab that the Centre is punishing farmers to the brink. The paddy procurement crisis we saw never happened before,” said Gujral, adding that the Akali Dal, as it restructures, must reflect the sentiments of Punjab.

Asked if Akali Dal and the BJP could reunite after facing electoral losses post their split, Gujral said the break up was not an outcome of number games alone. “After Arun Jaitley, we feel there is no one in the BJP who understands the Punjab psyche. The Akali Dal and the BJP had come together for the cause of Hindu-Sikh amity. Also, we are a party of farmers and could not have allied with the BJP unless it kept the promises made to farmers when recalling the agricultural laws,” said Gujral, adding that right now the Akali Dal was concentrating only on rebuilding itself.

On whether a new leadership should emerge after Sukhbir, Gujral said, “It is for party cadre to elect their leaders.”