Akali Dal, splinter faction in legacy war on Longowal death anniversary

The SAD and its breakaway faction on Wednesday traded charges as both groups staked claim to the party leadership at separate political conferences held to observe the 40th death anniversary of their former president Harchand Singh Longowal here.

While the breakaway faction led by Giani Harpreet Singh dared SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to not contest any future election, the former Punjab deputy chief minister accused the dissidents of trying to divide Punjabis in collusion with the BJP-led Centre.

The conference held by the dissidents at Longowal village was attended by several Akali rebels, including Prem Singh Chandumajra, Parminder Dhindsa, Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Manpreet Singh Ayali.

The confrontation came days after the dissidents declared Giani Harpreet Singh as the party chief and their group as the “true SAD”, a claim rejected by the Sukhbir-led faction.

Giani Harpreet Singh, a former Akal Takht Jathedar, said he had not become the SAD president just to enjoy the post.

He said he would quit as and when the faction led by him found a suitable person for the role.

Giani Harpreet Singh said only those members who worked hard would get the party ticket and this applied to the post of the president too.

The former Jathedar urged people not to let the group led by Sukhbir “succeed in politics” to save the Panth, alleging that they disobeyed the December 2 edict of the Akal Takht — the highest temporal seat for the Sikhs.

The Takht had formed a panel to hold a membership drive for the party and then oversee the organisational polls to elect its chief and office-bearers.

The party, however, rejected the panel, citing legal complications.

It held its own membership drive and organisational polls, in which Sukhbir was re-elected the SAD president, much to the annoyance of the rebel leaders who had been demanding a leadership change in the party.

Commenting over it, Dhindsa, a former Punjab minister, dared Sukhbir to announce that he would not contest any election as declared by Giani Harpreet Singh. He said the revival of the SAD, led by Giani Harpreet Singh, would be a real tribute to Longowal.

Chandumajra said the presence of a “large number of people” at their conference proved that they were the “real Akalis”.

He said they would also not allow political intervention in religious institutions of the Sikhs.

Meanwhile, at their separate event, Sukhbir dubbed the breakaway faction as “Nawan Chulha Dal”, saying the “fuel to it was being provided by the Centre to divide the Punjabis”.

Sukhbir said Panthic ideals and principles were “paramount for him” and he would never compromise on the prestige of the Panth for power.

The party chief said he had made it clear to some senior leaders, who were now not in the SAD, that resolving issues of the “quom” and Punjab were most important to him and unless these matters were addressed, he would never agree to their requests.