Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)

Subject – Polity

Context – SAD turns 100

Concept –

SAD was conceived in December 1920, a year after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
SAD was formed as a volunteer group on December 14, 1920 to free gurdwaras from the control of mahants (priests) appointed by the British government, a month after the formation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on November 15.
The Akali Dal launched a peaceful struggle that lasted four years and resulted in the death of 4,000 protesters, who were attacked both by mahants and by the British administration.
The morcha finally led to the enactment of the Sikh Gurdwaras Act 1925, which brought gurdwaras under the control of the SGPC.
It also pitched the party against the colonial government, paving the way for its alliance with Congress party.

Punjabi Suba movement

The Akali Dal started calling for the creation of a Punjabi Suba soon after the government of India appointed the States Reorganisation Commission in December 1953.
The demand, in part, stemmed from the concentration of Sikhs, who formed 35% of the population in the post-Partition Punjab.
The movement for a Punjabi-speaking state also had supporters among other religions.
Akalis suspended the Punjabi Suba movement during the 1962 and 1965 wars, and instead took part in the war efforts with generous supply of both men and material.
Finally, the Gulzari Lal Nanda government at the Centre relented and Lok Sabha passed the Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966, and Punjab in its present form became a reality on November 1, 1966.

Anandpur Sahib resolution &DharamYudhMorcha

Anandpur Sahib resolution wanted an independent political status for the community.
In 1978, the party revised the resolution and shifted the focus from the panthic agenda (KhalsekaBolBala) to autonomy for the state.
The resolution also sought transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and readjustment of boundaries to include certain Punjabi-speaking territories of neighbouring states.
The DharamYuddhMorcha (“righteous campaign”)was a political movement launched on 4 August 1982, by the Akali Dal in partnership with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, with its stated aim being the fulfilment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution.

Moga Declaration

It was in 1996 that Akali Dal announced its ideological transformation into a party of all Punjabis, regardless of their religion or geography in its Moga declaration.
The party has admitted a large number of Hindus.