Migration, Fertility: Why Akal Takht Is Urging Sikhs To Have More Children

Sikhs form the largest chunk of the electorate and decide the outcome of most Punjab elections. However, a large segment of the youth migrating abroad for studies or jobs, along with the influx of labourers from other states, has made community traditionalists anxious over rural population shifts and changing local footprints.

Another reason prompting the Akal Takht heads to encourage Sikhs to have more children and marry at a prime reproductive age is the declining Sikh population. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) published in November 2021 reported that Punjab's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) had dropped to 1.6. This survey was conducted between January 5 and March 21, and resumed between December 6, 2020, and March 31, 2021. The 2011 Census also shows that Sikhs grew just 8.4 per cent in the previous decade compared to India's 17.7 per cent.

Acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, in his August 17, 2026 and December 2, 2025, statements advised Sikhs to marry by the age of 30 and have at least three children.

"And everywhere I say that those who are 30 plus should get married. Arrange relationships; do not refuse. People from the Malwa side say no less; I asked them too. And second, do not shy away from having children; this is a Panthic matter. And children should be at least three, with Guru's grace. This is not a matter of shame. Brother Mani Singh had 12 brothers; one attained martyrdom in childhood, and 11 were martyred. So we are the heirs of those martyrs. Let us not disconnect children from the Guru, from religion, and from Gurbani. Let us stay united and remain in high spirits (Chardi Kala)," Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj said on Monday.

Gargaj is not the only Akal Takht leader who made this statement. His senior, Giani Gurbachan Singh, had also made a similar statement in May,2015.

"I had earlier also advocated producing four children by Sikh couples. I belong to a farming family, and I know that you require many hands for different work on the fields. So do businessmen. Therefore, four children will pave the path for the family's progress," Giani Gurbachan Singh said while defending his statement from a political and demographic point of view. 

"On one hand, you have a family of two and on the other, a family of 10. It is anybody's guess who has more votes and who will win. This is one of the reasons I ask Sikhs to produce more children," he added. 

The message is not just about creating a population balance. It also attempts to balance the political and demographic equations to maintain the status of the only Sikh-majority state with a 57.69 per cent share in the electorate.

Why Only BJP Backed The Akal Takht Jathedar 

Punjab's mainstream political parties, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), were tight-lipped about Gargaj's statement. Punjab politicians usually avoid commenting on statements made by the Akal Takht authorities. Once indirectly targeting Gargaj, AAP is also silent following the recent edict declaring Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as anti-Sikh and anti-Religion.

Interestingly, the BJP is the only political party that backed the Jathedar.

"The appeal made by Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, urging every Sikh family to have three children, is welcomed from a religious, Panthic and social perspective," Punjab BJP spokesperson Sarchand Singh said.

Social media is also abuzz with reactions. People questioned the statement, saying that following this advice would overburden the family. If someone wants to follow the advice, the religious and state authorities should share the financial burden by arranging educational and other expenses.

"This is a social subject, and society changes from time to time. The concerns expressed by the religious leaders are significant, but much will depend on how Punjab's Gen Z receives and acts. I don't think this will actually be beneficial. There were joint families, and then society converted to nuclear ones. Producing more children also means more resource generation, which does not seem practical in a state like Punjab where brain drain is common, and the state is under huge debt," said Professor Gurmeet Singh, a Chandigarh-based psephologist.

Quiet Slide In Sikh Voting Weight

Sikhs are still Punjab's largest voting bloc, but their numbers are no longer growing. That gap is what the latest census-to-election numbers quietly confirm.

The percentage of the Sikh population, which stood at 62.95 per cent in 1991, slipped to 59.9 per cent in 2001 and 57.69 per cent in 2011

That is a drop of 5.26 per cent in the past two decades. The 1991 figure was the post-1966 peak. After that, the share slipped every decade: about 3 points between 1991 and 2001, and another 2.22 points between 2001 and 2011.

Sikhs still grew in absolute numbers. Their share fell because other communities grew faster, fertility stayed low, and more Sikh youth left the state.

If the same pace continued after 2011, the Sikh share of both population and voters would sit closer to the mid-50s by the 2022 election. That is why 62.95, 59.9, and 57.69 are treated as the long slide behind the current demographic warning-not a sudden crash, but a steady loss of weight.