Sat Dec 07 20:27:00 UTC 2024: **Former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Survives Assassination Attempt**

AMRITSAR, PUNJAB – Sukhbir Singh Badal, former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), survived an assassination attempt on December 4th at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. A former militant, Narain Singh, opened fire on Badal, who was performing penance following a religious misconduct ruling. Security personnel quickly apprehended the assailant, and Badal was unharmed.

The attack comes two days after the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, declared Badal and other Akali Dal leaders guilty of “mistakes” during their tenure (2007-2017). These mistakes include controversies surrounding a pardon granted to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and the handling of police firings in Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan following sacrilege incidents.

Badal, who assumed the SAD presidency in 2008 at a young age, has had a long and prominent political career. He served as a Member of Parliament, Union Minister of State for Industry, and steered the SAD-BJP alliance to victory in the 2012 Punjab Assembly elections. However, subsequent electoral defeats in 2017 and 2022, coupled with criticisms of his leadership and the party’s perceived shift from its core Sikh identity, have led to a decline in support.

His current penance is seen by some as an attempt to regain the trust of the Sikh community (“panth”) after the SAD’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections, where they won only one seat. Badal has tendered his resignation as party president, though it is yet to be accepted. His ability to rebuild the party’s image and regain the faith of the panth remains a significant challenge.

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