Former Army chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) joins SAD (Taksali)

Tribune News Service
Amritsar, February 6

General JJ Singh (retd) today joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (Taksali) in the presence of its president Ranjit Singh Brahmpura.

Lashing out at the SAD, Gen Singh said, “The Akali Dal had sabotaged my political innings from the very beginning by hobnobbing with the Congress.” He said he was disillusioned with some leaders of the SAD.

On the SAD (Taksali), he said its leaders promised to follow the 1920 constitution of the SGPC. Brahmpura said the party would soon decide the seat from where Gen Singh would be contesting the election.

He reiterated that he along with senior leaders Sewa Singh Sekhwan and Dr Rattan Singh would not contest the elections. He said the claim that the SAD (Taksali) was a triumvirate, comprising Sekhwan, Ajnala and Brahmpura, had flattened after the induction of senior leaders like former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh and Gen Singh.

On the number of seats to be contested by the party, he said it would be decided by the alliance. He said the “grand alliance” would comprise the BSP, Bains brothers-led Lok Insaaf Party, Sukhpal Singh Khaira-led Punjabi Ekta Party, Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and SAD (Taksali). He added that AAP would not be part of the alliance.