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<p>An objective and dispassionate study of the oldest religion based regional political party: the Shiromani Akali Dal participating in the democratic politics and processes of socio-economic development and transformation of the country. It delineates and analyses events and developments from the emergence of the Akali Dal as a religious movement its transformation in to a religious political party concerned with safeguarding the political social and economic interests of the Sikhs as a minority and to represent them in governing institutions engaged in the struggle for power in secular domain mobilizing the community support using the ideology of fusion of religion and politics yet lacking equal support from different sections of the community. Rather than dwelling on a mere narrative of events and describing strategies tactics and agitations of the Akalis an attempt has been made to understand why and how social and economic antagonisms arising out of generation and articulation of demands in a pluralistic society undergoing modernization and democratization may be marked by identity politics. The study is located in the broader frame work of rise and growth of regional parties and identity politics in India as a part and consequence of India’s adopted model of state and nation building integration and socio-economic development and transformation. About the Author Amarjit S. Narang retired as Professor of Political Science from Indira Gandhi National Open University New Delhi. He has about forty five year’s teaching experience having taught at Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi National Open Universities. He has been a fellow at Brock McGill and Queen’s universities and Indian Institute of Advanced Study Shimla. His interests include Indian Politics Comparative Politics Ethnic and Minority Studies Human Rights Punjab and Sikh studies.</p>
