Chandigarh, Rebel Akali leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala on Thursday met the Akal Takht Jathedar seeking clarification regarding the supervision of the new membership drive of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
After the meeting, Wadala claimed that it was only the seven-member committee, formed by the Akal Takht on December 2, which could undertake the membership drive of the 104-year-old political outfit.
Wadala approached Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh in Amritsar after expressing resentment against the SAD leadership for not complying with the edict pronounced on December 2 by the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
While pronouncing religious punishment for SAD leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and other leaders for the “mistakes” committed by the SAD and its government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017 on December 2 last year, the Akal Takht had also formed a seven-member committee for starting the membership drive and holding the elections for the post of party president and other office bearers within six months.
However, the SAD working committee on January 10 formed a panel to oversee the membership drive, which was going to start on January 20.
Though the working committee of SAD retained five members from the Akal Takht-appointed seven-member committee for the party’s restructuring, it left out Wadala and Satwant Kaur.
The seven-member committee comprised Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami, former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badhungar, SAD leader Iqbal Singh Jhunda, rebel leader Gurpartap Singh Wadala, MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpur and Satwant Kaur.
Addressing the media after meeting the Jathedar in Amritsar, Wadala said that he along with Santa Singh Umaidpur came to meet the Jathedar as there was confusion regarding the membership drive of the Akali Dal.
“We wanted to take clarity from the Jathedar,” he said.
“Jathedar Saab asked us to meet the SGPC chief to call the seven-member meeting so as to decide about the membership drive,” said Wadala.
Wadala, who was the convener of the now-dissolved SAD Sudhar Lehar group of rebel leaders, said the edict of the Akal Takht should be fully implemented.
Wadala refuted the SAD’s claims and said the Jathedar had not permitted the working committee of the party to take a call on the membership drive.
The SAD had earlier said that it had apprised the Jathedar of the legal hurdles being faced by the party in implementing his directive to form a seven-member committee to hold organisational elections of the party and claimed that the Jathedar had agreed to its contention.
The SAD had apprised the Jathedar that reorganisation of the party through the seven-member committee formed by the Akal Takht might lead to losing its recognition from the Election Commission of India as a political party should run in a secular manner and not as per directions of a religious body.
Of the seven-member committee, Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and another leader Santa Singh Umaidpur had already refused to take up the responsibility given by the SAD working committee. They have said that they would go by the Akal Takht directive.
The SAD had given Ayali and Umaidpur, the responsibility of overseeing the membership drive in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh respectively.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.