Politics of Partition of the Punjab: Shiromani Akali Dal

Politics of Partition of the Punjab: Shiromani Akali Dal

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The Chief Khalsa Diwan grew out of the Singh Sabha and Khalsa Diwan movements offered exemplary leadership in the fields of learning, literature and theology.  The Chief Khalsa Diwan was formed in 1903. The Chief Khalsa Diwan became the Sikh community's political, social and religious voice to regulate and direct the many Singh Sabhas and to look after the interests of the Sikh community. The major goals of Chief Khalsa Diwan were to raise Sikhs in social, political, spiritual, moral, and economic domains. It also promoted education, protected the political rights of the community and used legal methods to spread Sikhism. By stressing the ideological and political divisions between Sikhs and Hindus, it heightened the hostilities between the Singh Sabha and the Arya Samaj.  It was not anticipated that the Chief Khalsa Diwan would support the Congress party's call for independence for the nation.

Sikh nobles and educated middle class Sikhs took the helm of the Chief Khalsa Diwan. Sunder Singh Majithia, A Sikh leader, belonged to the landed aristocrat class. Trilochan Singh, Bhai Vir Singh and Jodh Singh belonged to the Sikh middle class. They believed in social equality, eliminations of the caste system and development of education in the Sikh community. The Chief Khalsa Diwan held conferences, issued pamphlets and maintained loyalty to the government. It was successful in maintaining separate identity of the Sikhs.  The highest authority among Sikhs was the Chief Khalsa Diwan. It stayed loyal to the government and did not join the Congress party.10 Many works, like as novels, monographs, tracts, and even a newspaper, were produced by the Chief Khalsa Diwan. The Khalsa Samachar, a periodical published by Bhai Vir Singh. He was the inspiration behind the Khalsa Tract Society which held a great influence over the Sikh elite for decades.

The Shiromani Akali Dal was the highest-ranking Sikh political group. The Akalis came together on December 14, 1920 to form this central organization to assist the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee. First president of the Akali Dal was Sardul Singh Caveeshar. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee was established on November 16, 1920. The Shiromani Akali Dal was very powerful in controlling the religious and political matters related to the Sikhs. The Shiromani Akali Dal organised a number of  political campaigns with the goal of improving the lives of Sikhs. For achieving the political goals, the Shiromani Akali Dal used religious slogans and religious places. Guru Gobind Singh used the word Akali for the first time for his selected followers who were ready to take risk for safeguarding places of importance for the Sikh religion. Because of their boldness, they are known as Nihangs. They got respect among the Sikh community as they were famous for purity and sincerity. Akali became shorthand for virtue and moral rectitude. Guru Nanak had originally used the word Akal, meaning "timeless one," to refer to God as Akal Murat, or the Eternal form.

 The Recruitment system of the Akali volunteers was not properly handled earlier. The custodians of the Sikh shrines were misusing the jagirs and the Gurdwaras as their hereditary property. The Akalis were the people who wanted to join the reformers and were willing to make sacrifices for the cause.  The Shiromani Akali Dal chose to build its own road toward the same goal, the creation of a political party while keeping many of the same beliefs and ideas. This prevented it from becoming a subset of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee.  The Shiromani Akali Dal actively engaged the Sikh peasants in political agitations and the Sikh faith served as the most influential ideology among Sikh farmers. The Shiromani Akali Dal's religiously inspired politics prevented it from becoming a serious challenger to the Congress in the Punjab. It was in charge of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee's finances and workforce.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has held a position of great political strength and influence since the Akali movement. In both the religious and political sectors, the Shiromani Akali Dal became recognized as only official representative of the Sikhs. The Shiromani Akali Dal also provided the necessary initiatives, leadership, and support in the form of Akali Jathas, was the catalyst for the major demonstrations in Punjab. Massive protests were organized by the Akali Dal for secular and religious causes. The Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee were the most powerful and reputable organizations within the Akali Movement.

Chakravarti Rajagopalachari published a formula on July 16, 1944. He was the Congress Party’s sounding board for new initiatives. He offered the right to secede to Muslim provinces with their majority population. This gave 17 districts to Pakistan and 12 to India. Mahatma Gandhi supported Raja Ji formula. Muhammad Ali Jinnah on August 5, 1944 gave a statement to the Sikhs, “Sikhs are a separate nation and that Muslim League would deal with their demands judiciously. The Sikh leaders would give their demands in writing.”

 All India Sikh Conference was held on August 20, 1944 which opposed Raja Ji formula. In a subsequent Akali Dal Conference at Delhi in September 1944, Azad Punjab Resolution was reiterated and Raja Ji formula opposed. Giani Kartar Singh declared that, to get results of the Sikh sacrifices, Sikhs will have to go openly with the Sikhs. Master Tara Singh in a Akali Conference on at Lahore on October 14, 1944, said that the British have not given anything to the Sikhs, Mahatma Gandhi and Muhammad Ali Jinnah in their mutual negotiations were sacrificing Sikh interests. Raja Ji formula was again rejected.

 Chakravarti Rajagopalachari's famous formula from 1944 included the division of India, the Punjab, and Bengal on the basis of this idea. He counted on Mahatma Gandhi's approval. For the Indian National Congress, this formula had special significance. This was not a formula that was accepted by Sikhs. Sikh authorities started thinking about the prospect of the Sikh state as alternative to Pakistan in October 1944. Primary complaint of the Sikhs was that the Indian National Congress had failed to fulfill a promise made to them in 1929.