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Who led the movement for a Punjabi-speaking state after Indian independence?

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Amritsar, India: Harmandir Sahib — Punjab The Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple; right), Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Following India's independence in 1947, the movement for a separate Punjabi-speaking state was spearheaded by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the principal Sikh political organization.12

The campaign was initially led by Tara Singh, a prominent Sikh leader who advocated for an autonomous state to preserve Sikh religious, cultural, and political traditions. In the early 1960s, leadership of the movement shifted to Sant Fateh Singh following a power struggle within the party.34

The agitation for a linguistic state eventually succeeded in 1966, when the Indian government divided the existing Punjab state. The reorganization resulted in the creation of the predominantly Hindi-speaking state of Haryana and the new, primarily Punjabi-speaking state of Punjab.312