Rebel Akali leaders mull separate political outfit

Rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala on Tuesday said dissident party leaders will meet shortly to discuss the launch of a separate outfit as the party initiated its membership drive after “disobeying” an Akal Takht edict.

He also expressed surprise over the “silence” maintained by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami over the issue.

“We are surprised at the delay on their part in taking a stand. During our meetings with them, both had agreed that only the Akal Takht-constituted committee was authorised to conduct the membership drive and oversee the party’s restructuring,” Wadala said.

“They have so far hesitated in intervening directly in the ongoing membership drive,” he added.

He said they had disbanded their group that had launched the ‘Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar’ with an aim to reform the party, “abiding by the Akal Takht directions that all Akali factions should shun their differences only to be united under one umbrella to strengthen the party”.

‘Next move to be under Akal Takht’s guidance’

“But the other side (SAD) did not seem to respond positively. If the SAD leadership continued to proceed as per its whims and fancies, we too could think of taking a separate path,” he said.

However, Wadala said “like-minded” Akali leaders will meet shortly to decide the next course of action, but under the guidance of the Akal Takht.

Neither Dhami nor the Jathedar responded the comments.

The remarks came a day after SAD launched its month-long membership drive to enrol 50 lakh members.

The drive was started after the party rejected the Akal Takht-constituted seven-member committee to initiate a six-month membership campaign under Dhami.

The directive was issued by the Sikh clergy while pronouncing an edict on December 2 after holding former SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and several senior party leaders guilty of “religious misconduct” over issues concerning the Sikh community during the SAB-BJP rule in the state from 2007-17.

It had ordered the party to accept Badal’s resignation from its chief’s post and initiate a six-month membership drive to restructure SAD, a demand rebel Akali leaders led by Wadala had been raising for quite some time to free the party from the grip of the Badals.

Though the SAD working committee accepted Sukhbir’s resignation with delay and reluctance on January 10, it rejected the Takht-constituted panel led by Dhami.

Wadala too had termed the membership drive “ethically and morally incorrect”.

He told reporters in Amritsar on Monday that the party “overlooked the sanctity of the Akal Takht- constituted committee” through the move.

Earlier, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh had directed the party to comply with the December 2 decree “in totality”.

However, he did not comment over the SAD membership drive when his office was approached for it on Monday.