Bhajan Singh Walia

Bhajan Singh Walia was a Sikh leader and politician. He was an elected veteran and office-bearer of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and representative for over 25 years. He also served as the general secretary for two terms and became it's senior vice-president in 2009.
Biography
Walia was a prominent leader of Sikhs actively known for management of Sikh affairs in New Delhi. He started as a member and served as the general secretary of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elected in the late 90s. He became it's senior vice president in 2009.
He was vocal on the matters related to the Sikh leadership of DSGMC. During his tenure as the general secretary and member, he questioned political claims made by Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and others on several occasions.
Walia was a member of the DSGMC delegation working for Sikh marriage act's cabinet approval. He was a vocal leader during the debate of Sikh women's compulsion of wearing helmet and advocated to move forward as per the advice from Akal Takht. He was also a member of the delegation that met Law minister Salman Khurshid in 2012 to demand more representation of local Sikhs in Takht Sachkhand Sri Huzur Sahib in Nanded, Maharashtra. As a member of NMCMEI, he advocated for education of Sikh minorities and raised questions over Delhi University not granting minority status to DSGMC colleges.
In 2012, Walia was chosen as one of the two peace mediation representatives of the Sarna group after violent clashes between two Sikh groups including the Sarna group.
After serving as the general secretary of DSGMC, Walia was a prominent BJP leader in Shalimar Bagh Assembly constituency of Delhi. In 2003, he protested towards his party's local MLA in the constituency. As part of his protest he joined Indian National Congress. Walia resigned from the Sikh cell of BJP and contested New Delhi legislative assembly elections for Shalimar Bagh on an INC ticket unsuccessfully.
He also held the post of the secretary general of , a Sikh political party.
He later remained with Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi). In 2022, DSGMC president Harmeet Singh Kalka announced formation of a new party Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi-State) with Walia as one of it's senior patrons. Their focus was announced to be on religious matters and contesting gurudwara polls as they dissociated with Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi).
Other posts held
* Apart from his service in the DSGMC for over 25 years, Walia also served as a member of the Prabandhak Committee of Takht Sri Patna Sahib in Patna, Bihar.
* While being the senior vice president of DSGMC, he was also a member of the National Monitoring Committee for Minorities Education under Ministry of Human Resource Development of Government of India.
Personal life
Walia had a son named Gurvinder and a grandson named Manav. His daughter-in-law shot herself in 2008 at the residence in Shalimar Bagh while both Walia and his son were not in the city.
Death
Walia died in February 2024.

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