Majithia unlikely to face action as Maluka ‘floats’ unity talks

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is unlikely to take any disciplinary action against senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia for his outburst against the removal of Sikh jathedars by party-dominated Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), according to sources.

Meanwhile, former party leader Sikander Singh Maluka held a crucial meeting with some of the SAD rebels and called for unity among different party factions, a move being seen as an attempt to form unity in the party beset by political challenges.

Though Maluka was expelled from SAD last year after his daughter-in-law Parampal Kaur Sidhu joined the BJP ahead of Lok Sabha election, a source said he always “remained in touch” with former party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.

The source said since the Majithia’s outburst over the removal of the jathedars of the Akal Takht and Takht Kesgarh Sahib, no discussions had been held for disciplinary action against him.

Majithia and several former SAD ministers had released a statement on March 8 condemning the SGPC.

Initially, SAD working president Balwinder Singh Bhunder had responded to this statement strongly calling Majithia a back-stabber.

According to another source, the party is taking the Majithia’s stand on the jathedars’ removal as his “religious feelings only”.

The source claimed that Majithia might have been upset with Sukhbir Badal for inviting at the wedding of his daughter some former Akali leaders, who were inimical to the former Majitha MLA.

One of those leaders had even accused Majithia of being involved in drug smuggling.

‘Pained at schism in party’

Meanwhile, Maluka refused to divulge details about the meeting, which a source said was attended by both SAD rebels and Badal loyalists at his residence in Kansal here.

He is learnt to have met Majithia too.

He told The Tribune that the unity between all Akali factions was the need of the hour. On why he was trying for unity when his own relative left SAD to join the BJP, Maluka said he never left the party, and was rather expelled.

“I am pained at the schism in the party and the whole sordid chain of events involving the Akal Takht and the SGPC. As a Sikh and as a former Akali leader who has given his entire life to the party, I want to do my bit to bring all together,” he said.

Maluka said the Akali Dal had suffered much due to wrong decisions earlier.

According to a source, Maluka had shown solidarity with Badal when he was awarded a religious punishment by five high Sikh priests on December 2 last year for “mistakes” committed by the SAD-BJP regime during 2007-17.

Another source claimed that some members of the SGPC close to Maluka had voted for Badal-supported Harjinder Singh Dhami during the election for the Sikh body’s president in October last year. Maluka’s statement came a day ahead of a Panthic convention called by the Damdami Taksal in Anandpur Sahib.

The Damdami Taksal had last called such a big convention in 1986 over issues confronting the Sikh community at that time.

‘Maluka had attended Sudhar Lehar meetings’

Rebel party leader Charanjit Singh Brar, however, said Maluka used to attend till last October meetings of the Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar — a movement launched by dissident Akali leaders for leadership change and reforms in the party.

He said the unity was possible only if the party was run on the directions of the Akal Takht, which ordered a membership drive for SAD by a panel constituted by the temporal seat.

Despite the decree, the party launched its own drive, resulting in a confrontation between it and the temporal seat that culminated in the removal of Giani Raghbir Singh as the Akal Takht Jathedar. Giani Raghbir Singh has been pushing for “in toto” implementation of the decree.