Parminder questions manner of expulsion, plans rally soon

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, February 4

Lehra MLA Parminder Singh Dhindsa has questioned the manner in which he and his father, Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, have been expelled from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for alleged “anti-party” activities.

Going into a huddle with his supporters at his residence here, a day after the expulsion, he said: “Things have come to such a pass in the SAD that a party member, who was the senior-most leader after Parkash Singh Badal, has been expelled even without issuing a prior notice in spite of making an announcement in this regard. We have been expelled because we dared to challenge the SAD chief’s dictatorship.”

His supporters, who have resigned from the SAD, said the manner in which the two leaders were expelled proved that the party had become a private company of Sukhbir Singh Badal. They demanded permission from Parminder to organise a rally of Sangrur and Barnala districts to give a befitting reply to the SAD chief’s rally organised here on Sunday.

The supporters repeatedly egged him to announce a date for the rally.

Acceding to their demand, the former Finance Minister said: “Our leaders want to organise a rally of Sangrur and Barnala areas. The date will be finalised in a day or two. But unlike the Akali Dal rally, the turnout at our event will be of Sangrur and Barnala leaders. The SAD claimed its Sunday rally was of Sangrur and Barnala districts, but the reality is leaders and workers from across the state participated in it.”

Local leader Gurbachan Singh Bachi said that since SAD leaders had failed to convince even a single supporter of the Dhindsas from Sangrur and Barnala districts to participate in the rally, they had to mobilise workers from other districts.