Question

Mention any three policies and programmes of the Shiromani Akali Dal.

Answer 1

Hint:
After Congress, it is the second-oldest party in India.
The basic philosophy of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is to give political voice to Sikh issues.

Complete answer:
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is Sikh-centric state political party in the state of Punjab, India. After Congress, it is the second-oldest party in India, being founded in 1920. There are several parties by the name Akali Dal but the party recognised as "Shiromani Akali Dal" by the Election Commission of India is the one which is led by Sukhbir Singh Badal. The party controls Sikh religious bodies like the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, and is the largest and most influential Sikh political party worldwide.

The basic philosophy of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is to give political voice to Sikh issues. It believes that religion and politics go side by side.

Three organisations were formed under the guidance of the community -— the Shiromani Akali Dal to provide the volunteers, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee to manage the Gurudwaras and the Central Sikh League to provide leadership in provincial politics. After the liberation of the Gurdwaras and passage of the Sikh Gurudwaras and Shrines Bill, the assigned role of Shiromani Akali Dal was over.

The policies of the SAD are as follows:

> To establish the true federal structure.
> The immediate solution to truly important matters.
> Economic programmes and reform in labour law.
> The three most powerful agitations by the Akalis are:
> The first was that the Akali leadership understood the importance of the press and public opinion.
> The second was that from the very beginning, they avoided violence and disowned the brutal activities of the splinter group, the Babbar Akalis.
> And third, the movement was never permitted to take a communal angle. In contrast, the recent Akali leadership has failed to get the assistance of the national media and a larger section of Indian society.

Note
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Amritsar, recently demanded the reopening of Hussainiwala-Lahore border which was closed after the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
They announced a rally “Border Khulwao, Kisan Bachao”.