The senior rebel leaders of Shiromani Akali Dal have been targeting SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The senior rebel leaders have been targeting SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and accusing him of “compromising with the Panth’s (Sikh community) sentiments for political gain and not representing the sentiments of the community.”
The expulsion ordered by the party’s disciplinary committee comes into effect immediately, according to a party statement.
The eight who have been expelled are: ex-MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, ex-SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, and former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikander Singh Maluka, and Surjit Singh Rakhra. Besides these, Surinder Singh Thekedar and Charanjit Singh Brar have also been shown the door.
Mr. Chandumajra told The Hindu that the Shiromani Akali Dal has been reduced to the “personal fiefdom of the Badals.” “It has been proven that personal interests are being elevated above the party’s interests. We will soon decide on the next course of action,” he said.
Personal fiefdom
SAD leader Balwinder Bhundur, who chaired the disciplinary committee meeting, said the eight leaders had actively colluded with the party’s enemies to create divisions in the party and weaken it. “It was also felt that these leaders have willfully damaged the image of the party as part of a wider conspiracy,” he said, adding that the decision to expel the leaders had been taken after careful consideration.
“They were given ample opportunity to discuss their issues in the party forum. The working committee meeting of June 26 also, through a resolution appealed to them to discuss their misgivings at the party forum, but they refused,” he added.
Mr. Bhundur said instead of showing restraint, these party leaders widened their anti-party activities in a planned manner and made it clear that they did not have any faith in the party organisation. “Such acts of indiscipline cannot be tolerated, and the disciplinary committee took a unanimous decision to expel them from the party with immediate effect,” he said.
Apology to Akal Takht
The rebel leaders appeared before the Akal Takht – the highest Sikh temporal seat – on July 1 in Amritsar and submitted a letter to apologise and seek forgiveness for four mistakes made while their party was in power between 2007 and 2017. They held Mr. Badal, who was the deputy chief minister at that time, responsible for the “mistakes”. The key mistakes, according to their letter, included the pardon granted to Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a 2007 blasphemy case, the failure of the then SAD-led government to punish those involved in sacrilegious conduct involving the ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ at Bargari village in 2015, and the appointment of Sumedh Saini as the State’s Director General of Police.
The Akal Takht chief priest, Giani Raghbir Singh, then asked the SAD president to appear in person before the Akal Takht to answer the rebel leaders’ allegations by submitting a written explanation. On July 30, Mr. Badal appeared before the supreme body and submitted a written reply.
