In an apparent attempt to quell the rebellion within, the Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday conveyed the warning to the party’s dissident leaders through the acting district presidents to desist from questioning the party president’s authority otherwise be ready to face disciplinary action.
Expressing complete faith in the leadership of SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, as many as Akali Dal’s 39 acting rural and urban presidents made this unanimous announcement following a meeting held at the party headquarters under the chairmanship of SAD chief. While three Acting District presidents are abroad, one is incapacitated due to poor health.
Briefing the media, senior leaders and district presidents Iqbal Singh Jhundan, Virsa Singh Valtoha, and Mantar Singh Brar said that all acting presidents had made it clear that they had full faith in Sukhbir “far-sighted and visionary leadership” adding that “Sukhbir Badal is the president and would remain the president of the party”.
The leaders asked the senior leaders, questioning Sukhbir’s leadership, to discuss their reservations at an appropriate party forum and not to breach party discipline. “Anyone breaching party discipline is not a well wisher of the party and the party will not tolerate indiscipline henceforth,” the leaders asserted.
Asserting that the Jhundan committee did not even discuss the issue of party’s leadership, the Committee members said that a conspiracy was afoot to destabilize regional parties. They said that it was under this conspiracy that leaders of regional parties were being defamed.
“The intention is to break regional parties to spread the hegemony of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has been witnessed in Maharashtra and even Bihar recently,” they said while expressing confidence that the BJP would not succeed in weakening the SAD in Punjab and SAD would never compromise its principles.
Appealing to Punjabis to strengthen the SAD, the Acting District Presidents said that the Akali Dal had always acted as a bulwark in guarding regional aspirations and would continue to do so. “Our agenda is only Punjab and the welfare of Punjabis...The leaders also expressed their commitment to the federal structure as well as all pending demands of Punjab,” he said.
Meanwhile, Iqbal Singh Jhunda informed the media that the party sub-committee, headed by him, had made 42 suggestions and that they would be implemented in due course. “We admit that there have been mistakes in the past but we are committed to correcting them. You will witness a definite change in the SAD in the coming days,” he said.