The exit of Arvinder Singh Lovely, a well-known Sikh face, as Delhi Congress president leaves a void in the party which took years to woo the Sikh vote bloc in the capital city. Before the early 1980s, Sikh voters had traditionally thrown their weight behind Congress.
It’s a fact that Jathedar Santokh Singh, a highly influential Sikh leader of his time in the national capital, extended issue-based support to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The events of 1984 reversed the remarkable gains Congress had made in Delhi’s Sikh pockets. The rise of Madan Lal Khurana in the BJP consolidated the saffron party’s standing within the community further.
The situation changed favourably for Congress under Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who was seen as reaching out to various community leaders despite political differences.
Regardless of the present-day BJP’s top leadership sending out messages of solidarity with the Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in the country in no uncertain terms, the community seems to be sceptical, especially after the anti-Sikh rhetoric that echoed during the farmers’ protest.
Now, without a prominent Sikh face for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in its ranks, the Delhi Congress faces a challenge in asserting its place in the city’s Sikh community.
The overall Sikh voter population in the city is estimated to be three per cent of the electorate, while West Delhi alone has the largest concentration of approximately eight per cent.
The 1984 trauma, and Congress’ effort to woo Sikh community
Congress carries a significant blot on its reputation — the 1984 Sikh massacre. The vicious violence followed the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. The backlash resulted in the brutal massacre of numerous innocent Sikhs, leaving a bitter memory that continues to haunt the community.
Senior leaders such as Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, accused of instigating the murderous mob, are still on the sidelines of active politics due to the charges against them. This blemish on the Congress party’s record continues to provoke dismay and distrust among the Sikh populace for quite a long time.
Despite this, the Congress has spared no effort in courting the Sikh community in Delhi and Punjab where their presence is substantial. Indeed, they have successfully come to power multiple times in both states since the massacre.
The party recognised the need to foster bonds with Sikh leaders to reclaim their support, particularly in the Sikh-dominated West Delhi, but also in significant pockets of East and South Delhi. Under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit as Delhi’s chief minister in 1998, prominent Sikh face and former Mayor of Delhi Mahinder Singh Saathi was appointed as finance minister.
Despite his electoral loss in the 2003 elections, the party showed its commitment to Sikh representation continued with the young Sikh leader, Arvinder Singh Lovely, as a member of Dikshit’s Cabinet. The downfall of Sheila Dikshit’s government in 2013 was a hard blow to Congress.
However, out of the mere eight seats they won in that year’s Assembly elections, two were held by Sikh MLAs — Arvinder Singh Lovely from Gandhi Nagar and Parlad Singh Sawhney from Chandni Chowk.
How Congress lost senior Sikh leaders in the last few years
In the wake of Mahinder Singh Saathi’s exit from active politics post-2003 loss, there was a significant change in the Delhi Congress ranks through the elevation of Arvinder Singh Lovely. Over a period of 10 years, Lovely ascended to ministerial rank and was entrusted with crucial portfolios such as Education, PWD, Transport, and Urban Development.
Post-1984, the Congress was actively seeking to uplift other leaders capable of helping the party shed its anti-Sikh outlook. It was during this time that the young leader, Tarvinder Singh Marwah, gained prominence. Linked to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee politics, Marwah became an MLA from the Jungpura constituency of South Delhi.
His distinct vocal style earned him three consecutive terms starting in 1998 and led to his appointment as the parliamentary secretary of then CM Sheila Dikshit. However, Marwah’s political fortunes declined in 2013, 2015, and 2020 due to successive election losses. Consequently, he was sidelined in the Congress and eventually joined the BJP in 2022, severing ties with the Congress.
Meanwhile, another senior Sikh leader, Parlad Singh Sawhney, left Congress in 2020 to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and won the Chandni Chowk constituency Assembly elections. A five-time MLA from Chandni Chowk, Sawhney had previously served as the parliamentary secretary to then CM Sheila Dikshit. The denial of his ticket in favour of Alka Lamba led to his decision to quit Congress.
The trend of Sikh leaders leaving Congress was further observed with the case of Surinder Pal Singh Bittoo, a two-time MLA from Congress between 2003 and 2013. Bittoo left Congress in 2017 to join AAP, only to return in 2018. His party allegiance shifted again in 2019 when he joined the BJP.
Therefore, from Saathi to Arvinder Singh Lovely, numerous Sikh leaders abandoned the Congress for varied reasons.
Will Rahul Gandhi emerge as saviour?
From the recent political developments, it appears that the Congress might face hurdles in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Delhi due to the absence of prominent Sikh leaders.
However, Harmeet Shah Singh, Senior Editor with India Today closely observing Sikh affairs, disagrees that the Lovely factor may adversely impact Sikh voting in favour of Congress or the INDIA alliance.
“The Sikh community seems to be seeing the bigger picture, and in this picture, Rahul Gandhi stands tall. The grace with which way he has conducted himself, whether at Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar or Sri Rakab Ganj Sahib in Delhi, was more than symbolism. It has struck a chord with the Sikh psyche and that matters more than anything else in this political climate,” Singh said.
However, there are other elements at play. One of these factors is the Congress’s strategic alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the 2024 parliamentary election. AAP is fighting to win Sikh-populated seats in West Delhi, East Delhi, New Delhi, and South Delhi. As the reigning party in Punjab, AAP has a natural rapport among Sikh voters, which consequently benefits the AAP-Congress alliance.
The lack of notable Sikh figureheads is not an issue exclusive to the Congress. The BJP faces a similar dilemma, with the absence of a prominent Sikh face within its ranks. This shared predicament potentially levels the playing field between the two parties.
The Congress party’s central leadership may also have the potential to compensate for the absence of Sikh leadership. Rahul Gandhi, among other senior leaders, has made deliberate efforts to re-engage with the Sikh community recently. These efforts include visiting gurdwaras and professing a commitment to the interests of the Sikh community.
Furthermore, the Sikh community’s sentiment against the BJP following the farmers’ agitation might work in favour of the Congress. Rahul Gandhi’s promise to ensure a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops has won him goodwill within the Sikh community.
Therefore, while the absence of Sikh leaders in Congress may present a challenge, it is far from an insurmountable one. Various other factors, such as strategic alliances and the central leadership’s outreach endeavours, have the potential to bridge the apparent gap, turning a perceived weakness into a point of strength.
Source Agencies
