For decades, references to the Indian National Congress from the platform of Akal Takht have largely been linked to the pain of June and November 1984. Against this historical background, the collective appearance of Punjab Congress MLAs on June 29 appeared to open a new chapter.
They shared the venue with representatives of the Aam Aadmi Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal and other political and religious leaders during proceedings on the Jaagat Jot Sri Guru Granth Sahib Satkar (Amendment) Act, 2026. The Akal Takht had objected to certain provisions and asked the Punjab government to make corrective amendments within one month.
Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa was given ample time to present the Congress party's position, while Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj also invited Pargat Singh to speak.
Although non-Sikh ministers had only been asked to submit written explanations, non-Sikh MLAs were not called. But Congress legislators Aruna Chaudhary from Dinanagar and Naresh Puri from Sujanpur also arrived at the Secretariat. They were not turned away and were allowed to participate in the proceedings.
Congress legislators were also invited to partake in langar alongside other Sikh religious and political leaders present at the gathering. The focus remained firmly on legislative accountability rather than personal appearance or religious observance.
The Human Weight Of The Occasion
The seriousness of the moment was visible even before the proceedings began.
I met senior Congress MLA Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, who represents Fatehgarh Churian, shortly before he was to appear before the Jathedar. He seemed visibly perturbed by the controversy that had followed the legislators' support for the law. The weight of the occasion, as well as the historical baggage carried by his party, appeared evident on his face.
When I asked him about the legislation, he said, at that moment, he had come only to present himself unconditionally before the Akal Takht. He would answer political and media questions after fulfilling what he regarded as his immediate and foremost duty.
The second example was Rana Gurjeet Singh, the Congress MLA from Kapurthala. He arrived at the gurdwara complex with his beard open. This was noticeable because he is usually seen in public as a formally dressed politician, with his beard tied and moustache carefully styled.
When I asked him about it, he said it had not been consciously planned. While leaving home, his only thought was to reach the Guru's place at the earliest. Whether by emotion, instinct or destiny, he had arrived in that form.
These may seem like small personal observations, but they captured the atmosphere. The legislators did not appear to be attending an ordinary political meeting. Many seemed conscious that they were entering a sacred institutional space carrying the burden of history, community expectations and personal accountability.
The Burden Of 1984
Its pertinent to mentioned that the military operation at the Sri Darbar Sahib complex in June 1984, during Indira Gandhi's government, and the anti-Sikh violence that followed her assassination in November remain deeply embedded in Sikh memory. No serious examination of the Congress's relationship with Sikh institutions can avoid 1984.
In June that year, the Indira Gandhi government ordered Operation Blue Star inside the Sri Darbar Sahib complex. The military action caused heavy loss of life and severe damage, including to the Akal Takht. The government described it as necessary to remove armed militants, but for Sikhs worldwide, the army's entry into their holiest shrine remains a profound and unresolved wound.
The pain deepened after Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984. Organised anti-Sikh violence followed in Delhi and other parts of India. Thousands were killed, homes and businesses were destroyed, and many survivors waited decades for justice.
The Justice Nanavati Commission recorded testimonies alleging the involvement of some local Congress leaders and workers in inciting or assisting mobs. Official figures placed before Parliament recorded 2,146 Sikh deaths in Delhi alone.
This history explains why the Shiromani Akali Dal, the SGPC and other Sikh organisations continue to invoke the Congress record. For many Sikhs, it is a question of justice and accountability, not merely politics. Yet, 1984 has also been used electorally. Its political use does not make the pain less real, but neither should that pain become a permanent political weapon.
Rahul Gandhi's Sewa
Rahul Gandhi's extended visit to Sri Darbar in October 2023 must be viewed against this difficult background.
The visit was presented as personal and spiritual rather than political. He washed utensils, served langar, peeled vegetables and performed sewa at the footwear section. Senior Congress leaders were largely kept away from accompanying him.
The visit appeared to generate some goodwill towards Rahul Gandhi personally. It communicated humility and avoided the usual political spectacle of slogans, speeches and large entourages even media too.
The Congress later won seven of Punjab's 13 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 parliamentary election. It would, however, be an exaggeration to attribute that result primarily to Rahul Gandhi's sewa. Electoral outcomes were also influenced by candidate selection, farmers' concerns, anti-incumbency, dissatisfaction with the state government and the decline of the traditional Akali political base.
His visit may have softened some perceptions, but personal gestures cannot substitute for institutional accountability.
Another symbolic moment followed Dr Manmohan Singh's death in December 2024, when Shiromani Akali Dal leaders visited the Congress headquarters in New Delhi to pay tribute. They stressed that the visit was solely to honour the former prime minister. Even so, their presence there was significant, showing that personal respect and shared Punjab sentiment can sometimes rise above long-standing political hostility.
The 2027 Political Test
Although the Congress MLAs appeared before the Akal Takht over a specific legislative issue, the matter was directly connected with the honour and sanctity of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Their respectful appearance may therefore carry significance beyond the immediate controversy. With the 2027 Punjab assembly election approaching, the Congress will hope that such engagement can help rebuild trust among Sikh voters.
That possibility, however, is now being tested by renewed unease within the Punjab Congress following the announcement of its election-related committees. The party retained Amarinder Singh Raja Warring as PPCC president and Partap Singh Bajwa as Leader of the Opposition, while appointing Charanjit Singh Channi as chairman of the Campaign Committee and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa chairman of the Core Committee.
The Congress high command may have achieved an organisational accommodation on paper, but the real challenge will be converting this arrangement into collective leadership on the ground. Punjab Congress has previously suffered when competing chief ministerial ambitions and personal differences overshadowed its political message. The coming months will reveal whether Channi, Warring, Bajwa, Randhawa and other senior leaders can work within a shared strategy or whether unresolved rivalries will once again weaken the party before an election.
One appearance at the Akal Takht cannot erase historical mistrust or replace consistent sensitivity, accountability and a credible agenda for Punjab. Equally, respectful engagement with Sikh institutions will have limited political value unless the Congress first demonstrates unity, discipline and maturity within its own organisation. The real test is whether this moment develops into a sustained relationship with Sikh institutions and sentiments - and whether the party can reconcile its competing leadership ambitions before asking Punjab's voters to place their trust in it again.
A Door Opened, Not A Chapter Closed
The June 29 proceedings should not be described as the final reconciliation between the Congress and Sikh institutions.
Reconciliation cannot be achieved through one appearance, one speech or one act of sewa. It requires a consistent acknowledgement of the past, continued support for justice in the 1984 cases, respect for Sikh institutions and responsible political conduct beyond election seasons.
Nevertheless, the collective appearance of Congress legislators was meaningful. They entered an institution associated with some of their party's most painful historical memories, accepted its moral authority on a matter concerning Sikh sentiments and explained their position without confrontation.
The conduct of the Akal Takht was equally significant. Its proceedings were not visibly vindictive or partisan. Partap Singh Bajwa was given sufficient time, Pargat Singh was personally invited to speak, and legislators were not humiliated because of their appearance or political affiliation.
June 29 did not erase the wounds of June and November 1984. It did not bring historical closure.
But it demonstrated that memory and dialogue can coexist. For the Congress at Akal Takht, this may have been the beginning of a new chapter - one that will be meaningful only if it is followed by humility, accountability and sustained efforts to rebuild trust.
(Ravinder Singh Robin is a broadcast journalist with over two decades of experience in covering Punjab, Sikh affairs and border issues)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
