Shun ‘anti-Punjab’, ‘anti-Panth’ forces: Badal appeals to Punjabis

On August 13, Sukhbir sustained injuries to his right hand in a knife attack by a Nihang inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded

Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday appealed to Punjabis to shun the “anti-Punjab” and “anti-Panth” forces, alleging they were working with the sole purpose of weakening the SAD and taking the state back to the dark era of the 1980s.

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal being honoured by SAD leader Bikram SIngh Majithia and others during rally at Baba Bakala in Amritsar, on Friday. (HT Photo)

Addressing a gathering here to mark Rakhar Punia, the SAD president said, “These people have no respect for Sikhism. Under religious garb, they shamelessly attack us inside our Gurughar. If they come to power, they will attack us in our homes. They want the dark era of the 1980s to return when people feared venturing out of their homes and the honour of womenfolk was violated.”

On August 13, Sukhbir sustained injuries to his right hand in a knife attack by a Nihang inside a gurdwara in Maharashtra’s Nanded. The attacker was later arrested.

This was the second attack on the SAD president in less than two years. In December 2024, he survived an assassination bid by former militant Narain Singh Chaura while he was performing ‘sewadar’ duty at the Golden Temple in Amritsar after the Akal Takht pronounced the ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) for “mistakes” committed during the party’s rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

Urging people to recognise and shun such elements, Sukhbir said Amritpal and his supporters had first run away from the police and then used the Guru Granth Sahib as a shield while leading a protest in front of a police station.

“This was not the ideology of Sant Bhindranwale. He even sacrificed his life. He never made the Guru Granth Sahib a shield to protect himself,” the SAD president said.

Urging people to save Punjab, he asserted that SAD alone could bring in peace and speedy development.

He also targeted the SAD factions, claiming they had weakened the Akali Dal and even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, leading to the formation of a new gurdwara committee in Haryana.

“When the SAD was powerful, managements of Takht Hazur Sahib, Takht Patna Sahib and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee were in the hands of the Panth. Once it weakened, their control went to the hands of governments,” Sukhbir claimed.

He also launched a scathing attack on the AAP dispensation over various issues, including corruption.