SAD’s Double Standards Exposed on the Name of Veer Baal Diwas, Pannu Questions Harsimrat Badal’s Past Support

Chandigarh, December 25, 2025: Aam Aadmi Party Punjab Media In-charge Baltej Pannu, while addressing a press conference at the party office, raised two serious and connected issues, first, the controversy around the name of Veer Baal Diwas, and second, the recent remarks made by SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami regarding daily scams in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
 
Speaking on Veer Baal Diwas, Pannu said that the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib had written to Members of Parliament seeking a change in the name, following which AAP MPs raised the issue strongly in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and also highlighted it through the media. He reiterated that AAP does not view the Sahibzadas as “baal” (children) but reveres them as Babas, remembering them as “nikian zindan, vadde sake.”
 
Pannu pointed out that while the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) is today aggressively opposing the name Veer Baal Diwas, records show that when Veer Baal Diwas was introduced, several MPs had signed in support of it, including Sukhbir Singh Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal. He said taking a stand and later retreating from it has been a consistent pattern of the Akali Dal, whether it concerns Panthic issues or Punjab’s interests.
 
Citing another example, Pannu recalled the role of Akali leaders during the farm laws agitation, stating that no one promoted the three farm laws more aggressively than the Akali Dal, adding that even the BJP did not push them with such intensity. He said videos of Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Kaur Badal were regularly circulated at the time, calling the laws beneficial. When the laws were repealed under public pressure, the Akali leadership did not admit their mistake, instead claiming they had failed to “explain” the laws properly.
 
Pannu also referred to a 2019 tweet by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, posted on Veer Baal Diwas, which carried photographs of the Sahibzadas, referred to the day as Veer Baal Diwas, and even used the hashtag #Children’sDay.
 
Pannu appealed to the Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, stating that just as MPs were asked to oppose the naming of Veer Baal Diwas, and Punjab’s MPs complied by recording their opposition in Parliament, the Akali leaders should now be questioned about their role and support when the name was originally finalised.
 
Moving to the second issue, Pannu responded to SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami’s press conference, where Dhami questioned whether the government considers itself above Sri Akal Takht Sahib. Pannu categorically stated that the Punjab government has never claimed superiority over Sri Akal Takht Sahib and holds the institution in the highest respect.
 
Pannu questioned Dhami’s statement that “10-20 scams occur daily in SGPC”, asking him to clearly explain what kind of scams these are, whether related to finances, ghee procurement, receipts, or construction works. As the chief sewadar of SGPC, Dhami, Pannu said, owes the Sikh sangat a clear and transparent explanation.
 
He further alleged that Dhami often speaks as a spokesperson of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) while occupying the position of SGPC President, leading to confusion. Pannu said Dhami makes political statements under the cover of a religious institution, which is inappropriate.
 
Referring to the 2015 sacrilege incident, Pannu recalled a television debate where an SGPC member claimed that a gurdwara from where a Guru Granth Sahib saroop was stolen was not under SGPC control. Pannu questioned whether Guru Granth Sahib is considered Guru only in SGPC-managed gurdwaras, terming such arguments deeply troubling.
 
On the issue of 328 Guru Granth Sahib saroops, Pannu reminded that an FIR has been registered and an SIT constituted, and SGPC itself had passed a resolution seeking departmental and legal action against those responsible. He said SGPC must now fully cooperate with the SIT and allow the law to take its course, instead of delaying accountability.
 
Concluding, Pannu said that if anyone wishes to speak politically, they should do so openly in a political capacity, but religious institutions must not be used as shields for political agendas, and accountability to the sangat and the law must remain paramount.