SAD core committee seeks to expel GK who questions loss of 8 seats in Punjab

NEW DELHI: Two days after the Lok Sabha poll results, there is literally an upheaval in the Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Former president of Delhi unit Manjit Singh GK, on Saturday asked the Sikh community to consider the results of parliamentary seats in Punjab and analyse why the party lost despite all factors working in favour.

Manjit Singh GK.

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 25

Two days after the Lok Sabha poll results, there is literally an upheaval in the Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Former president of Delhi unit Manjit Singh GK, on Saturday asked the Sikh community to consider the results of parliamentary seats in Punjab and analyse why the party lost despite all factors working in favour.

The SAD lost on eight seats of the 10 it contested.

This statement comes hours after the Delhi unit of the party passed a resolution seeking to expel Manjit Singh GK from the party. Senior Akali leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who is an MLA in Delhi, when contacted said, “A resolution was passed by the core committee last night seeking to expel Manjit Singh GK.”

Indications are that resolution stems from cases pending against GK in court on account of alleged fiscal impropriety in the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), which was once headed by him.

Reacting to this, Manjit Singh GK said “what action will those people take who have been rejected by the panth”.

Manjit Singh GK said it needs to be analysed why Sikhs have given negative vote to the Akali candidates and showed their grievances. “I think this is the time of having discussions among the Sikh intelligentsia to analyse the results and suggest measures for how to save the future of Akali party,” he said.

For the first time Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party called the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre what it actually was – genocide and terrorism. The PM assured justice in all his public rallies in Punjab, however, all this did not make Sikh voters to vote for Akali Dal even as BJP improved drastically, he said.

Manjit Singh GK who has been president of the cash-rich DSGMC said Modi’s orders to scrap the ‘blacklist’ and the anti-incumbency factor against Captain Amarinder Singh’s government did not help in winning back the Sikh voters in the traditional Akali segments. After Sam Pirtroda’s ‘Hua to Hua’ remark narrative at national level was in our favour, he said adding that Akali candidates lost badly. Biggest losses were of what are considered ‘Panthic seats’ Khadoor Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib.