CHANDIGARH: The crisis in Shi/romani Akali Dal (Badal) has deepened after Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa Chief patron of Akali dal stayed the order of disciplinary committee to expel eight Akali leaders from primary membership of the party.
The SAD disciplinary committee had yesterday expelled senior leaders Prem Singh Chandumajra, Bibi Jagir Kaur, Sikandar Singh Maluka, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Surjit Singh Rakhra, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Charanjit Singh Brar for anti-party activities. These leaders had rebelled against party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and demanded to replace him to save the party. The SAD has faced defeat in past four elections and party's vote bank shrinks to 19 percent.
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa who rejoined the SAD few months back was made Chief Patron of SAD. He said that expulsion of senior party leaders without issuing any show cause notice to them is illegal. He said that he would call general house meeting of the party and a new president will be appointed in place of Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Charanjit Singh Brar who was chief spokesman of SAD said that Sukhbir Badal should made sacrifice for the party. He said that under his leadership party had faced repeated defeats in elections. He said that Sikhs have not pardoned the Badal family for their indulgence in cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and giving pardon to dera sacha sauda sadh Gurmeet Ram Rahim.
In the meantime Pardeep Kaler a senior functionary of dera who was also accused in a sacrilege case (now out on bail) has alleged that Sukhbir Badal had several meetings with Gurmeet Ram Rahim and it was Sukhbir Badal who started the process of giving pardon to dera chief. He had assured the dera chief that he would manage the pardon from Akal Takht. Kaler also said that dera chief had never sent any apology letter to Akal Takht, it was a clarification note on activities of dera.
Kaler said that Sukhbir Badal had told Daljit Singh Cheema to deliver the dera letter to Akal Takht Jathedar. He said that draft of letter written by dera chief was later amended and words 'Khima Da Jachak' was written before the signatures of dera head. He said that Sukhbir Badal had visited dera Sacha Sauda secretly before assembly elections in 2012 and 2017 to get support. Kaler said that SSAD formed government in 2012 and Harsimrat Kaur had won the parliament elections with the support of dera.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said party patron Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa did not have any authority to stay the proceedings of the disciplinary committee which had expelled eight senior leaders for indulging in anti-party activities.
In a statement here, senior leader Balwinder Singh Bhundur said “Mr Dhindsa is a senior leader and should know that the party patron cannot overrule any party decisions”. Asserting that it was unfortunate that instead of advising the party rank and file not to indulge in anti-party activities, Mr Dhindsa had chosen to lead the team of expelled leaders and was acting like a self styled dictator by trying to override decisions taken as per the party’s constitution.
Mr Balwinder Bhundur also detailed that action had been taken against eight party leaders after they did not pay heed to the resolution passed by the party’s working committee on June 26 appealing to everyone to discuss their misgivings in the party forum. He said the expelled leaders had made their intention to work against the party further clear by forming a parallel organization without the approval of the party president and with the sole aim of misleading the party cadre.