Chandigarh, October 22
The Political Affairs Committee (PAC) of the Shiromani Akali Dal today decided to constitute a one-member judicial commission to look into acts of sacrilege related to Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara after the SGPC chief, Mr Jagdev Singh Talwandi, insisted on going ahead with his own probe by a three-member panel announced earlier.
Justice K.S. Bhalla, a retired Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, will head the judicial commission. Earlier, the high court had expressed its inability to spare a sitting judge for the probe.
Talking to newsmen after a meeting of the PAC, the SAD chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, said that he had personally spoken to Mr Talwandi to request him to withdraw the three-member probe panel as the Punjab Government had decided to constitute a judicial commission to inquire into the whole case relating to Baba Bhaniara. The SGPC chief, however, insisted on going ahead with his own probe panel.
On being repeatedly questioned about the lack of unity
between the SAD and the SGPC on holding the probe against Baba Bhaniara, Mr Badal said that the commission constituted by the government would have legal sanctity.
Interestingly, Mr Talwandi did not attend any of the three party meetings held today. In fact, five of the PAC members — Mr Talwandi, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal, Mr Tota Singh, Mr Ajit Singh Kohar and Mr Harinder Singh Khalsa — were conspicuous by their absence.
Interestingly, both Talwandi and Mr Gurdev Singh Badal are closely linked to the Baba Bhaniara case. While the SGPC chief has made no secret of his feelings regarding “soft-pedalling on the issue by the state government”, Mr Gurdev Singh Badal has been awarded tankhah by Akal Takht for having visited Baba Bhaniara’s dera.
In the morning , the SAD had convened a meeting of district jathedars which was followed by a meeting of the Working Committee.
Besides the Baba Bhaniara case, the coming assembly elections and the three-day concluding function of the bicentenary celebrations of the coronation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar from
November 11 to 13 figured prominently at the SAD meetings. The party President said that some important scheduled meetings of trusts
managed
by the SGPC had held Mr Talwandi back.Among those present at the meetings were Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Mr Balwinder Singh Bhunder, both MPs, and Capt Kanwaljit Singh, besides Bibi Jagir Kaur.
The Chief Minister wanted feedback from the district jathedars and members of the Working Committee on the Baba Bhaniara case as well as preparations for the assembly elections. He also impressed upon all party workers and office-bearers to mobilise the masses for the November 13 rally to be addressed by the Prime Minister at the conclusion of the bicentenary celebrations of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s coronation.
The meetings are being viewed as a “wake-up call” to all party leaders for stepping up their poll-related activities.
