Jagdev Singh Talwandi: Difference between revisions

{{More citations needed|date=May 2020}}{{short description|Indian politician}}

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{{Infobox Indian politician

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'''Jagdev Singh Talwandi''' (24 June 1929 – 19 September 2014) was an [[Indian people|Indian]] politician. He was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]] in 1978 as a member of the [[Shiromani Akali Dal]] (SAD), a Sikh-centered regional political party. Talwandi was elected SAD president in 1978 and 1988.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jagdev Singh Talwandi inherited politics from Akali activist father|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/jagdev-singh-talwandi-inherited-politics-from-akali-activist-father/story-w5wXiFygGt7Nvxebyd6njO.html|date=2014-09-19|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> He became the President of the [[Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee]] (SGPC) in 2000. He was elected to the [[Punjab Vidhan Sabha]] thrice in 1967, 1969, and 1972, and was inducted as a Minister of State for Development and Animal Husbandry in the Gurnam Singh Ministry and the Minister of State for Jails, Sports and Transport in the [[Parkash Singh Badal]] government. He represented Punjab in the [[Rajya Sabha]] from 1980 to 1986.

Talwandi was born at Chak No. 52, [[Lyallpur District]] (now in Pakistan) on 24 June 1929. His father, Jathedar Chhanga Singh, was a landlord in Mullanpur village in Lyallpur district. Chhanga Singh had actively participated in all Sikh morchas {{Clarify|reason=What are these|date=May 2020}}, including those of Guru Kal Bagh, Gangsar, Jaitu Nabha, Nankana Sahib, and Duska. As he was a member of the Lyallpur District Board at the time, his [[lambardar]], which entitled him to a free land holding of 25 acres, was forfeited because of his actions. When no one in the village accepted the lambardar, the Government was forced to pass it on to his Talwand, who did not have formal schooling. In an interview, he admitted that he had never attended school. "I am an illiterate person. I have no formal education. Whatever little I know is what I have learned from experience in these 70 years. I firmly believe religion is the guiding light in everyone's life".{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}

After [[Partition of India|independence]], Chhanga Singh settled at Talwandi village in [[Ludhiana district]], and was unanimously elected the [[sarpanch]] in 1955 for a decade. He earned the title of {{Lang-hi|Loh Pursh|lit=Iron Man}} for his role in early years of Akali politics followed by arrests in all Punjabi Suba morchas, along with his brother Master Dev Raj Singh. He was arrested on 9 July 1975 for being a part of the first [[jatha]] against the Emergency and spent 19 months in jail.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jagdev Singh Talwandi inherited politics from Akali activist father|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/jagdev-singh-talwandi-inherited-politics-from-akali-activist-father/story-w5wXiFygGt7Nvxebyd6njO.html|date=2014-09-19|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref>

In 1960 and 1965 he was chosen as a member of the SGPC. He was elected thrice to become a member of the Punjab Assembly in 1967, 1969, and 1972, and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jagdev Singh Talwandi inherited politics from Akali activist father|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/jagdev-singh-talwandi-inherited-politics-from-akali-activist-father/story-w5wXiFygGt7Nvxebyd6njO.html|date=2014-09-19|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref> He was inducted as the Minister of State for Development and Animal Husbandry in the [[Gurnam Singh]] Ministry, and was also unanimously elected Leader of the Akali Legislature Party in 1967. He was the Minister of State for Jails, Sports and Transport in the last Parkash Singh Badal Ministry. His son is [[Ranjit Singh Talwandi]]

As the emergency was lifted by Gandhi in January 1977, all the political leaders opposed to Indira Gandhi were released and there was a discussion to merge political parties to form one political party in the Centre. The [[Janata Party]] was created as a result. On Mr. [[Mohan Singh Tur]]'s indisposition in April 1977, Jathedar Talwandi was appointed Acting President of the Akali Dal. As a member of the Dal Parliamentary Board and chief of the party, he helped it win 58 out of 116 Punjab Assembly seats. He declared that the Akali Dal would cooperate with the newly formed Janata Party but would not merge with it and would remain its separate entity.  

Talwandi brought Parkash Singh Badal back to Punjab politics after the latter fell sick. In the 1977 Vidhan Sabha elections that followed the Lok Sabha elections, The Akali Dal and Janata parties came into power with Badal as Chief Minister.  

The trio of Akali Dal (Talwandi, [[Gurcharan Singh Tohra|Jathedar Tohra]], and Badal) dominated the political scene. Talwandi organized the All India Akali Conference in Ludhiana in the month of October 1978 after 13 Sikhs were killed in a fight between [[Nirankari|Nirankaris]] and [[Akhand Kirtani Jatha]] followers. The conference was a big success and the Anandpur Sahib Resolution was passed with some amendments.  

The Akali-Janata Government was working smoothly when issues of alleged corruption by education minister Sukhjinder Singh surfaced. Badal wanted to remove Singh while Talwandi and Tohra opposed. Sukhjinder Singh was ousted from the cabinet and two ministers, [[Jaswinder Singh Brar]] and Randhir Singh Cheema, resigned as a show of solidarity with Sukhjinder Singh. This widened the differences between Badal on one side and Talwandi and Tohra on the other.

Tohra reconciled with Badal and a complaint against Talwandi was made to the [[Akal Takht|Akal Takhat]] and he was summoned by the Jathedar Akal Takhat who declared he wasn’t "{{Clarify span|tankhwaya|What does this mean|date=May 2020}}". In 1980 Talwandi parted ways with Badal and formed his own Akali Dal (Talwandi). Meanwhile, Gandhi returned to power and she dismissed the Badal Government.

Talwandi was made the president of the SGPC in 2001.  

He married Mohinder Kaur and has two sons and two daughters. His younger son Jagjit Singh became an SGPC member and his elder son is [[Ranjit Singh Talwandi]], an Akali Dal leader, who was elected as a [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of Legislative Assembly]] (MLA).  

Talwandi was admitted to the Hero DMC Heart Institute due to multiple infections in the heart, kidney, and stomach. Vishwa Mohan had treated his condition critical on 6th September. News of his death spread on the morning of 19th September at seven o'clock. However, the doctors later maintained that his heart was beating and could not be declared clinically dead. He was pronounced dead by the Institute’s chief cardiologist, Gurpreet Singh Wander, DMCH medical superintendent Rajoo Chinna, and the Ludhiana civil surgeon at 11.10 am on 21 August 2014. He was 85 years old.