Chandigarh: With senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Birkram Majithia and several other party leaders opposing what they termed the ``unceremonious removal'' of Jathedars (head priests) of Akal Takht and Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the differences between former SAD chief Sukhbir Badal and Majithia have come out in open.

For record, the SGPC had removed Giani Raghbir Singh from the post of Akal Takht Jathedar and Giani Sultan Singh from the post of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib, on March 7.

It is the first time that Majithia, who is also brother-in-law of Sukhbir, and other leaders have aired their views after the Akal Takht sacked the party leadership (including Sukhbir Badal) for committing mistakes since 2007 that, it held, harmed the Sikh panth.

It may be recalled that in August 2024, a group of senior Akali leaders had revolted against party leadership, formed an Akali Dal reform movement and approached then Akal Takht Jathedar Raghbir Singh to dissolve the party leadership and roll out the process for setting up a new leadership.

Akal Takht declared Sukhbir Badal and several leaders including Sukhbir Badal as “tankhayia” (guilty of religious misconduct) on December 2 last year, and formed a seven-member panel to carry out a membership drive of the party and elect new leaders.

However, taking on Bikram Majithia, the SAD acting president Balwinder Singh Bhundar, said that the removal of Jathedars is a decision of SGPC and SAD is committed to every directive issued by Akal Takht. He said that Bikram had wrongly questioned the decision of SGPC – of which his great-grandfather, Sundar Singh Majithia was the first president.

The SGPC decision regarding the Jathedars was made after long deliberations, he added and also advised to stop becoming part of the ``opposition’s conspiracy’’.

Reacting over the development, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday slammed the Akali leadership for, what he held, taking revenge from the Jathedars by unceremoniously removing them. He said that the Akalis had indulged in theatrics by apologising for the sins committed by them in full public glare at Sri Akal Takht Sahib. However, after the Jathedars pronounced Akali leadership guilty of their ``unpardonable sins, since then they are being targeted’’, he added.

While SGPC, the apex gurdwara body, which is also known as the mini-parliament of the Sikhs, is a representative body of Sikhs living across the world, the Akal Takht is the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs.

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