Ex-Speaker of Punjab Assembly Nirmal Singh Kahlon's death leaves big void in Akali Dal

Ravi Dhaliwal

The death of ex-Speaker Nirmal Singh Kalhon (86), who had earned the sobriquet of being the “grand old man of Akali politics”, has come as a hammer blow to the already depleted rank and file of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in Gurdaspur district.

His political sagacity ensured that for several decades, Gurdaspur remained a stronghold of Akali politics. That was till the 2012 elections, when the Congress pulled the rug from under its feet by winning five of the total of seven seats.

He started his political career by becoming the Deputy Speaker in 1985. Slowly, he climbed the echelons of SAD politics and was made a Cabinet minister in 1997 by Parkash Singh Badal. He remained a Badal acolyte throughout and stood by his master even when the chips were down for him. In 2012, he was again made a Cabinet minister despite having nagging health issues.

His proximity to the Badal family was well known. In 2015, when his wife Surinder Kaur Kahlon passed away, the senior Badal specially flew in a chopper to attend the last rites. Whenever there was any dissidence in the party cadre, he would be Badal’s troubleshooter.

Even his rivals admit that he possessed a politically sharp brain. His ability to stay calm in a crisis situation was admired by many.

With Sewa Singh Sekhwan having left the SAD and Sucha Singh Langah being rendered irrelevant after he was caught on tape in a sleazy video, Badal eyed Kahlon as his pointsman in Gurdaspur district.

In 2012, when the Congress won five out of the total of seven seats in this district, Badal overlooked senior leaders like Balbir Singh Bath and Lakhbir Singh Lodhinangal and pinned hopes on Kahlon to take the party out of the rut it had landed itself in.

In 2017, voices to give the ticket from his home borough of Fatehgarh Churian to his son, Ravi Karan, became shriller. However, Badal blocked this move and reposed confidence in the senior Kahlon by giving him the ticket to contest from the family’s home-borough of Fatehgarh Churian. Kahlon had to convince Badal that he was no longer the force he once used to be. It was only then that Badal agreed to give the party nomination to Ravi.

During his stint as Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Kahlon was caught in a recruitment scam linked to the appointment of panchayat secretaries. However, the court found no substance in the allegations and subsequently gave him a clean chit.

Despite a vilification campaign launched by his opponents and even by some of his own colleagues, Kalhon came out clean with the judge noting: “There was not even an iota of evidence against Kahlon.”