Non secular sentiment has lengthy been a powerful undercurrent of political discourse in Punjab, influencing policy-making, legislative exercise, and cross-party public outreach.
From granting cities the standing of ‘holy locations’ and proposing anti-sacred legal guidelines to planning pilgrimages and even rescheduling elections, successive governments led by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Congress, and now the Aam Aadmi Social gathering (AAP) have sought to undertaking sensitivity to faith-based issues whereas navigating electoral politics.
Earlier this month, the AAP-led Punjab authorities notified its choice to declare the walled metropolis of Amritsar, Sri Anandpur Sahib (Rupnagar) and Talwandi Sabo (Sri Damdama Sahib, Bathinda) as ‘holy cities’. The choice was introduced weeks after the Punjab Meeting accepted it by way of a unanimous decision in a particular session convened to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom.
The AAP authorities’s transfer is principally associated to the presence of three out of 5 Sikh Takufs in these cities. These takhts aren’t simply locations of worship, however pantheistic establishments central to Sikh spiritual authority, governance, and id. Sikh teams have lengthy demanded that these cities be formally declared holy.
Concurrently with this declaration, the federal government banned the sale and consumption of meat, alcohol, tobacco, and different intoxicants throughout the notified areas. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday mentioned the transfer was a achievement of a decades-old demand of Sikhs and mentioned these cities aren’t simply spiritual facilities however symbols of Punjab’s civilized heritage. The federal government claimed the transfer would “assist protect sanctity, promote heritage tourism and enhance infrastructure for pilgrims.”
Nonetheless, political observers, opposition events and a few native residents mentioned the choice was largely symbolic. Casual restrictions had been already in place in areas round main spiritual websites. For a very long time, for instance, Heritage Avenue close to Amritsar’s Golden Temple was lined with solely vegetarian eateries and no liquor shops. They mentioned the ‘holy cities’ tag is aimed toward branding these cities as heritage and cultural hubs of Punjab.
“We welcome this transfer, however on the similar time, there have been already no meat outlets, tobacco outlets or liquor outlets in or round these spiritual locations. If the federal government has given them this standing, it ought to shield their sanctity in true letter and spirit,” mentioned Pritpal Singh Bariawal, BJP Punjab state spokesperson, including that the city radius must be clarified.
Congress MLA Palghat Singh questioned whether or not the world was declared a holy metropolis or only a holy hall, whereas stating that the sale and consumption of meat, tobacco and liquor not takes place throughout the partitions of the walled metropolis.
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed that Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo had been declared holy locations round 15 years in the past throughout his father Parkash Singh Badal’s time as CM, and slammed the Mann authorities for estimating the transfer as a “new achievement”.
However Mann argued that there isn’t a formal authorities order implementing such restrictions and that folks voluntarily chorus from these actions attributable to spiritual sentiments. He mentioned the parliamentary decision formally acknowledged the prevailing follow and any future bans can be legally enforceable slightly than voluntary.
The CM mentioned the state authorities will allocate funds and in addition search funds from the Middle for the maintenance of the “sacred cities”, stressing that such steps are essential to “protect and promote the heritage of those historic cities”.
The AAP authorities’s transfer comes amid intense political exercise to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Whereas the AAP authorities organized applications throughout Punjab, the BJP held a kirtan durbar at Anandpur Sahib. Outdoors the state, Bharatiya Janata Social gathering leaders in Delhi organized commemorative occasions on the Pink Fort, whereas the Bharatiya Janata Social gathering-led Haryana state authorities inspected a month-long program, highlighting the broader political engagement surrounding the anniversary.
Mann additionally paid tribute on Friday at Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib, the place a three-day Shaheedi Sabha (martyrdom vigil) is being held. The annual congregation might be held from December 25 to 27 in reminiscence of Sahibzades Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, youthful brothers of Sikhism’s tenth guru Gobind Singh, and their grandmother Mata Gujri.
Ravidas Jayanti Pilgrimage Plan
The political significance of spiritual sentiments was additionally evident within the 2022 Punjab Meeting elections. The polling date was initially scheduled for February 14 however was postponed to February 20 after the then Congress CM Charanjit Singh Channi identified that the initially scheduled date was nearer to Ravidas Jayanti on February 16. He mentioned lakhs of devotees from Punjab go to Varanasi for a holy dip throughout this era.
This demand was supported by all main political events together with AAP, SAD and BJP. On January 21, 2022, the Election Fee introduced a revised schedule citing overlap with the third part of voting in Uttar Pradesh. Nonetheless, political events in Punjab insisted that spiritual concerns had been central to the choice.
The Mukhyamantri Teeras Yatra undertaking exhibits how religion-related welfare intersects with electoral politics. Launched in 2016 by the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP authorities forward of the 2017 meeting elections, the scheme supplied free pilgrimages to locations such because the Golden Temple, Hazur Sahib, Patna Sahib, Naina Devi and Chintpurni.
This system operated constituency-by-constituency utilizing buses and trains throughout all 117 parliamentary districts, however was discontinued after the parliament got here to energy in March 2017. SAD has repeatedly promised to reinstate this system if defeated.
In November 2023, the AAP authorities revived the scheme, which SAD described as a continuation of its authentic efforts. This stage was carried out for a short while utilizing buses because the railways couldn’t prepare devoted trains. Whereas AAP will begin the second part from November 2025 to take pilgrims to spiritual websites in Punjab such because the Golden Temple, Anandpur Sahib and Talwandi Sabo in buses, Mann introduced final month that trains to locations outdoors the state are proposed.
anti-blasphemy legislation
Makes an attempt to legally deal with blasphemy spotlight the political sensitivities surrounding spiritual points. Following the desecration incident involving the Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari village in October 2015, in March 2016, the SAD-BJP authorities handed a invoice in Parliament looking for to amend the IPC and CrPC to offer for all times imprisonment for desecrating Sikh holy texts. The Middle returned the invoice citing constitutional issues associated to secularism.
The Congress authorities made one other try in August 2018 and expanded the scope to incorporate Guru Granth Sahib, Bhagavad Gita, Quran and Bible. These payments additionally didn’t obtain presidential approval.
In July 2025, the AAP authorities launched the Punjab Prevention of Crimes Towards Biblical Act as a separate state legislation consistent with the framework of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita. The invoice was then referred to a particular committee.
