As Punjab's Sikh MLAs appeared before the Akal Takht to answer questions on the anti-sacrilege law, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann remained absent, leaving ministers and legislators to defend one of his Government's most high-profile decisions. The episode raises a sharper question about political leadership: Is a leader meant to stand at the front only when there is applause, or also when there is accountability ? Has Bhagwant Mann missed an opportunity to demonstrate the very accountability expected from a Chief Minister, or is leadership ultimately about standing where the toughest questions are asked ?
जब पंजाब के सिख विधायक अकाल तख्त के समक्ष राज्य के बेअदबी-विरोधी कानून पर सवालों का जवाब देने पहुंचे, तब मुख्यमंत्री भगवंत मान अनुपस्थित रहे और सरकार के सबसे चर्चित फैसलों में से एक का बचाव करने की जिम्मेदारी मंत्रियों और विधायकों पर छोड़ दी गई। यह घटना राजनीतिक नेतृत्व को लेकर एक बड़ा सवाल खड़ा करती है: क्या नेता की भूमिका केवल तब आगे रहने की है जब तालियाँ बज रही हों, या तब भी जब जवाबदेही तय हो रही हो ? क्या भगवंत मान ने मुख्यमंत्री से अपेक्षित जवाबदेही दिखाने का एक महत्वपूर्ण अवसर खो दिया, या फिर नेतृत्व की असली पहचान वहीं होती है जहाँ सबसे कठिन सवाल पूछे जाते हैं ?
Once regarded as Punjab's natural party of governance, the Shiromani Akali Dal today finds itself fighting not just electoral battles, but a battle for relevance. After years of electoral decline, internal revolts, the fallout of sacrilege controversies, alleged mafia links, the farm laws episode, and the rise of new political challengers, the party is attempting yet another comeback ahead of 2027. But for many Punjabis, the central question is no longer whether the Akali Dal can win again, it's whether it has truly changed. Can a party rebuild public trust without first confronting the reasons behind its decline ? Or has the weight of its own legacy become its biggest political burden ? Has the Akali Dal become a party remembered more for its history than trusted for its future ?
