Akal Takht panel to initiate drive for SAD membership tomorrow

Rebel Akali leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala on Sunday said the Akal-Takht constituted panel to oversee the SAD overhaul will meet on March 4 to initiate a membership drive for the party.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson Daljit Singh Cheema could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts.

The statement came a day after Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh asked the remaining five members of the panel to initiate the drive.

Earlier, two members of the committee — Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami and SAD leader Kirpal Singh Badunghar — had resigned from it.

Their resignations are yet to be accepted.

The party too had rejected the panel constituted by the temporal seat, whose December 2 edict had forced Sukhbir Singh Badal to quit as the SAD chief after he was awarded a religious punishment for “mistakes” committed during the party’s decade-long rule from 2007-17.

The party had launched its membership campaign on January 20, resulting in a stalemate over the issue.

‘All committee members on same page: Wadala

Commenting on the issue, Wadala said all remaining five members of the panel were on the same page when it came to obeying the December 2 decree of the temporal seat.

Welcoming Giani Raghbir Singh’s ‘clear-cut’ directions, Wadala said on March 4, the five members would visit the Akal Takht, showing gratitude and seeking guidance from Giani Raghbir Singh for a way forward.

“We will perform ardas at the Akal Takht on March 4. Thereafter, we will assemble to chalk out the programme of conducting the SAD membership drive,” he said.

On Dhami’s move to quit, he said, “If Dhami sahib intends to review his decision and joins back, we would be happy if he leads us.”