Akalis on course correction, but no room for rebel leaders

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) undertook course correction by accepting the resignation of party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday.

However, there seems to be no room for the rebels in the party.

SAD working committeesaid the rebel Akali leaders will have to appear before the disciplinary committee if they want to return to the party, thus they need to apologise for indiscipline.

The working committee has also given responsibility to Dakha MLA Manpreet Ayali, who had remained “neutral” in the face-off between Badal and the rebel camp. He has been made the head of Rajasthan affairs of the party.

There’s a strong possibility of three ‘Akali’ outfits in the state. Besides SAD, supporters of the detained Lok Sabha MP Khadoor Sahib, Amritpal Singh, have announced the formation of the Shiromani Akal Dal (Anandpur Sahib). The details of this new political outfit will be announced on January 14 at Maghi Mela, Muktsar.

The making of the third ‘Akali Dal’ is also in the process as rebels and several Sikh organisations came together in Jalandhar today, where they announced the formation of a coordination panel.

Though SAD aimed to end its ongoing ‘crisis’ of a face-off with the Akal Takht by accepting the resignation of Badal, it made it clear that it won’t work under the seven-member panel formed by the Takht for the party’s reorganisation. The differences with the Akal Takht led the party to accept Badal’s resignation 55 days after its submission.

However, the control of the Badals on the party will continue unless the delegates choose a non-Badal loyalist for the post of president on March 1.

Explaining non-acceptance of the seven-member panel formed by the Akal Takht for the party’s reorganisation, SAD spokesperson Daljeet Singh Cheema said the party is governed by its own constitution. Thus, the party cannot be run by a panel formed by a religious body, he added. “We have already informed the Akal Takht Jathedar about this legal and constitutional issue,” said Cheema.

Laying out the roadmap, he said the working committee had decided to launch one-month membership drive for the reconstitution of the organisational structure of the party on January 20 and election for the post of the party president would be held on March 1. He disclosed that senior leader Gulzar Singh Ranike had been made chief election officer to conduct the poll.

Cheema said SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami had been given charge of Jammu and Kashmir and Hoshiarpur, Kirpal Singh Badungar of Malwa, Manpreet Singh Ayali of Rajasthan, Santa Singh Umaidpur of Himachal Pradesh, Iqbal Singh Jhunda of Malerkotla, Paramjit Singh Sarna of Delhi, Manjit Singh GK of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and Raghujit Singh Virk of Haryana.

Sukhbir’s resignation too late: Wadala

Gurpartap Singh Wadala, who was the convener of the recently disbanded Shiromani Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar, said Sukhbir Badal’s resignation as the president of SAD has come too late. The Akal Takht had sought an approval of the Sukhbir’s resignation within three days of issuing its edict. “The resignation has come too late. The resignations of other leaders too were to be accepted but that has not happened. They have also announced enrolment in SAD on their own. This is a defiance of the Akal Takht’s edict,” he said.