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Jalandhar: At a recently held ‘Punjab Bachao’ rally in Ghanaur, Patiala, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal lashed out at Amritpal Singh’s Akali Dal Waris Punjab De, saying “‘Virus’ Punjab De” had one agenda: to split the Sikh vote and “finish” SAD.

“Waris nahi, eh virus hai (They are not inheritors but a virus of Punjab),” said Badal, playing on the Punjabi-English alliteration.

Badal has been making direct attacks against Amritpal and his party in many rallies. With the Punjab Assembly elections just months away and the fear of a division in the Sikh votes in rural areas, he is back to “panthic politics”.

Panthic refers to religious, political and social interests related to the Sikh community.

At a rally in the historic Baba Bakala town of Amritsar district, Badal said, “Just like the Covid virus threatened the destruction of the world, Waris Punjab De virus is programmed to create infighting in the Sikh community and weaken the SAD.”

He appealed to Punjabis to shun the “anti-Punjab”, “anti-Panth”, “stooges of agencies” who he said were working with the sole purpose to weaken the SAD, bringing the dark 1980s’ era back.

Badal has also alleged that central agencies and parties have “sent” Amritpal to weaken the Sikh community and foster friction within it so as to “take control of the Sikh quam”.

The SAD president is not just targeting Amritpal but, in a bid to consolidate moderate Sikh voters, raising questions over Waris Punjab De’s pro-Khalistan leanings. While SAD has always used “panthic politics” as a tool to woo Sikh moderate and radical voters, this time, it is not competing against a traditional rival like the Congress but Waris Punjab De, a newcomer to politics, but one that is gaining traction.

Waris Punjab De was launched on January 14, 2025. It is difficult to say if it will win seats in the coming assembly elections, but it has become a headache for traditional Akali politics.

Apart from the drug crisis, justice in sacrilege cases and gangsterism, panthic politics is in focus in the run-up to these polls, and it is pitting SAD, Waris Punjab De and the newly-formed SAD (Punar Surjit), a breakaway from SAD (Badal), against each other.

Panthic politics and SAD’s bid to reclaim lost ground

Until a decade ago, SAD had sway over the traditional panthic seats in the Majha belt of Punjab, particularly Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur.

However, it’s sway over the politics of the state has been declining. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, SAD’s vote share fell to 13.5%, far below the BJP’s 18.6%. Its image was also dented by the post-2015 instances of sacrilege, the pardon issued to Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by the Akal Takht, the initial support for the farm laws........

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