Akal Takht panel meets office-bearers of Amritpal’s outfit to ‘forge unity’

Members of the panel constituted by the Akal Takht to undertake a membership drive for the SAD on Friday met office-bearers of the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), a party led by Khalistan sympathiser and jailed Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha MP Amritpal Singh.

The panel, including rebel SAD leaders, was constituted by the temporal seat through an edict issued on December 2 last year.

The SAD had rejected the panel and had carried out its own membership drive, leaving the fate of the Takht panel in limbo. The Akal Takht too has remained mum on its fate, despite its members seeking a leadership change in the SAD.

The members of the panel are Satwant Kaur, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Iqbal Singh Jhunda. They held discussions with the five-member committee that is currently leading the Amritpal’s outfit in his absence.

The committee included Tarsem Singh, father of the jailed MP, and Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh. The Takht panel said they stood for the revival of the SAD and with this objective they coordinated with those Panthic parties that are dedicated to the temporal seat. They stressed the need for joint efforts to bring all Panthic parties together on one platform.

Sikh organisations seek review of SGPC panel

Sikh bodies left out of the panel formed to frame service rules of the Akal Takht Jathedar sought the review of its membership.

The 34-member panel was constituted by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Thursday. Members of the gurdwara committees of Haryana, Delhi, Takht Hazur Sahib and Takht Patna Sahib were not included.

Harmanjit Singh, general secretary of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha, said despite his organisation being one of the oldest Sikh bodies, it was completely ignored.

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee chief Harmeet Singh Kalka said the panel was against the “Panthic spirit”.