5 members of Akal Takht panel meet Jathedar to seek further directions

Members of the Akal Takht-constituted committee today met Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh seeking directions for the way forward at a time when the stalemate between them and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) over the recruitment process refuses to die down.

It is learnt that out of seven members, five visited Giani Raghbir Singh at his residence in the Golden Temple complex. They include Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Satwant Kaur, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri and Iqbal Singh Jhunda.

They held a closed-door discussion with Giani Raghbir Singh for over an hour while apprising him of the prevailing situation.   Wadala said that they had submitted a report about the meetings of the Akal Takht committee that were convened till date, but remained inconclusive.

Giani Raghbir Singh assured them that the authority of the seven-member committee constituted by the Akal Takht on December 2 still ‘stands’, despite the fact that head of the committee Harjinder Singh Dhami and former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungarh had already offered to quit.

Wadala said that Giani Raghbir Singh had assured that he would get the December 2 directives implemented in ‘totto’.

“We have told Giani Raghbir Singh that the SAD leadership was reluctant to cooperate and acknowledge the Akal Takht committee authorised to conduct the membership drive. We were assured that soon he will issue a message to the community, keeping in view the prevailing circumstances. We are looking forward to the Akal Takht’s next directions”, he said.

Meanwhile, Giani Raghbir Singh has asked Harjinder Singh Dhami to withdraw his decision to quit and join back his services as head of the SGPC and the Akal Takht committee.

Dhami had submitted resignation from the SGPC and Akal Takht committee following Giani Raghbir Singh’s statement on his Facebook page while condemning the procedure of dismissing Giani Harpreet Singh’s services as Takht Damdama Sahib Jathedar. “If Dhami Saheb had resigned on the grounds of morality on my social media post, then it was also morality for him to resume his services as the head of the SGPC and the Akal Takht committee and kickstart the recruitment process of SAD as directed by the Akal Takht,” he stated.