Akal Takht jathedar asks SAD to make 7-member panel for membership drive functional

Chandigarh, Jan 27 (PTI) Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on Monday asked the working committee of the Shiromani Akali Dal to make a seven-member committee appointed to supervise the party's membership drive functional.

Appointed by the Akal Takht on December 2 last year, the panel has still not been made functional, he noted.

Singh's remarks came amid resentment expressed by dissident Akali leaders over the non-compliance of the Akal Takht's December 2 edict pertaining to reorganising the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

"I had said this earlier while speaking to the media. The seven-member committee announced from the 'faseel' (podium of Akal Takht) on December 2 for the new membership drive of the Shiromani Akali Dal has yet not been made functional," he said.

"I again direct the working committee (of SAD) that the seven-member committee, which was to supervise the membership drive, be made functional. It should start working," the jathedar said while speaking to mediapersons in Amritsar.

He also said the next meeting of the five 'Singh Sahibans' (Sikh high priests) will be announced in coming days. The meeting was to be held on January 28 but it was postponed.

While pronouncing religious punishment for former SAD chief 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 formed a seven-member committee to launch a membership drive and hold elections for the post of party president and other office-bearers within six months.

The seven-member panel comprised Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) 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.

However, the SAD working committee on January 10 formed a panel to oversee the membership drive, which started on January 20.

Though the working committee of SAD retained five members from the Akal Takht-appointed panel, it left out Wadala and Satwant Kaur.

However, on January 23, SAD deputed rebel party leader Wadala as an observer for the membership drive. It also clarified that if Satwant Kaur wanted to serve the party, she is most welcome to join it.

But since Kaur is an employee of the SGPC and draws salary from the apex religious body, she will have to resign from her post before joining a political party as per the rules, the party said.

Several dissident leaders, including Wadala, had accused the SAD leadership of not implementing the Akal Takht edict in toto.

Wadala even met the Akal Takht jathedar, pointing out that the SAD leadership was not fully implementing its December 2 edict.

Wadala had claimed that only the committee formed by the Akal Takht could undertake the membership drive of the 104-year-old political outfit.

He even urged SGPC chief Dhami to convene a meeting of the seven-member committee appointed by the Akal Takht. PTI CHS ARI