The Indo Pakistan division and the formation of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh caused the social situation in Punjab change. Punjab State came into existence in 1966 on linguistic basis. Akali Dal propagated an idea called ‘Punjabi Suba’ and Indira Gandhi approved this demand. Thus Punjab was divided into Punjab and Haryana .

Haryana was for the Hindi speaking people and Punjab for the Punjabi speakers. Even in the 1967 election, Akali Dal came to power in Punjab by making agreements first with Jan Sangh and later with Janta Party. Because of certain reasons, the situation became bad for Akali Dal and before completing the term, the government was dismissed by the Centre. The Akali Dai could not get the support of the Hindus.

The Sikh Community itself was divided on tribal and caste lines. The Dalits supported the Congress. In 1970, a group of Akalis demanded political autonomy. They also said that there should be rethinking about Centre State relationship. In 1973, in Anandapur, they passed a resolution supporting this idea. They demanded a Sikh Kaum (Sikh Nation) through this resolution.

This resolution made only the Sikh community happy. In 1980 the Akali Government was dismissed. The Akali Dal leaders tried to prevent the sharing of river water. Some religious leaders also demanded freedom for the Sikh nation. The worst was the demand for an independent Khalistan.