The Sikhs played a pioneering role in India's struggle for independence from the British. They made sacrifices wholly out of proportion to their demographic strength (the Sikhs make up less than 2% of the Indian population).

Though Sikhs were smallest minority in Punjab, Sikhs were generally averse of communal representation. The Muslims, in spite of being a majority, had been given statutory protection and weight-age in form of separate electorates and reservation of seats. This created among the Sikhs a sense of grievance and they demanded to be treated on a par with the Muslims in the matter of political rights.

Chief Khalsa Diwan in 1928 observed that Sikhs are anxious to maintain their individuality while at the same time they are ready to co-operate with their sister communities for the development of a united nation. They would, therefor, be the first to welcome a declaration that no consideration of caste or religion shall affect the matter of organization of a national government in the country. Sikhs are prepared to stand on merit alone. British appointed a committee under Moti Lal Nehru to work out a scheme of government that is accepted to all.

The committee prepared a report which was published in August 1928, Muslim opinion was totally against this report and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, an emerging leader of Muslims suggested number of amendments to it. Sikhs rejected the Nehru report for different reasons Baba Kharak Singh in his speech put these points forth, first this report asked only for dominion status of Indians under British and not total freedom, second this report had laid the foundation of communalism by accepting separate electorates. On December 20, 1929, Baba Kharak Singh gave a speech at Lajpat Nagar, Lahare reiterated the Sikhs determination not to let any single community establish its political hegemony in Punjab. Sikhs he said had suffered more then anyone else, of the 31 Indian patriots sentenced to death, 27 were Sikhs, and out of 121 sentenced to long imprisonment, 91 were Sikhs. Nehru and Gandhi did meet Baba Kharak Singh and assured him of Sikh representation and keeping country united while Muslims remained silent.