Fissures in Akalis after poll debacle, MLA Manpreet Ayali to boycott party activities

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, June 7

Fissures have appeared in SAD following the Lok Sabha poll debacle suffered by the party. It got only one of the 13 seats in the state.

Implement Jhundan report

SAD MLA from Dakha (Ludhiana) Manpreet Ayali has announced that he will boycott all party activities until the Jhundan Reforms Committee that had reportedly recommended sweeping changes in the party organisation, more role for young leaders and freeing the party from control of one family, the Badals, are implemented.

Two senior leaders have questioned the party leadership about its policies and decision-making process while there are murmurs on the future of the Akali Dal.

Party MLA from Dakha (Ludhiana) Manpreet Ayali has announced that he will boycott all party activities until the Jhundan Reforms Committee that reportedly recommended sweeping changes in the party organisation, more role for young leaders and freeing the party from control of one family, the Badals, are implemented. Ayali wrote, “The Akali Dal has a glorious history of being the true representative of Punjab. However, the party image has declined. This is due to certain bad decisions taken by the leadership.”

He also said the party had failed to recognise the issue of farmers earlier and now the mood of the Panth. “To earn the faith of farmers and the Panth, the party needs to make big decisions,” he said.

The committee was formed after the party suffered a drubbing in the 2022 Assembly poll and the Sangrur bypoll. It was headed by Iqbal Singh Jhundan, who was the president of the Sangrur district unit of the party. The report was mired in controversy as some members had claimed that it had recommended a change in the leadership, but Jhundan denied it.

Jhundan was hand-picked by party president Sukhbir Badal to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Sangrur. Badal had earlier assured the seat to the family of ex-MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. The ex-MP and his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who was Finance Minister in the SAD-BJP government (2012-17), distanced themselves from campaigning for the party.

Dhindsa has called for drastic changes in the party’s decision-making process.

Ex-MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, who unsuccessfully contested the election from the Anandpur Sahib seat, said the party lost because it could not decide its policies, “We could not make the voters understand what were the policies we stood for.”

He said he tried to form a third front with other regional parties in the country but it could not materialise,” The Akali Dal was a strong regional party, which has lost its base. But look how two regional parties are the ‘kingmakers’ in formation of the NDA government. We can regain our regional strength too but it needs introspection and drastic changes.”