Less than a week after SAD veteran leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa virtually announced his decision to remain within the party and still target his adversary Sukhbir Badal, the party’s Rajya Sabha MP is finding himself attacked by all but the ones he assailed — a political strategy being attributed by many to the Akali Dal president.
Attacked by the party’s top leader, Sukhbir chose to maintain a strategic silence while sending his lieutenants to the front duty.
Sending out a clear message that the current situation has reached a point of no conciliation, Akali leaders are now openly attacking Dhindsa, with some even claiming that he was not even a party member, with others questioning his contribution to the party, while others accused him of damaging the party.
And all this through, there was no reaction, or clarification by the party president, and also by the Akali patriarch Parkash Singh Badal. In fact, Dhindsa’s son Parminder Singh Dhindsa has also stayed away from making any statement on the issue.
Party’s MLA from Lehra Gaga, Dhindsa is also the leader of the SAD legislature group in the Vidhan Sabha.
Notably, Dhindsa junior had decided to contest the 2017 state assembly polls at a time when his father had distanced himself from the Akali Dal and resigned from all the party posts. Dhindsa even advised his son against contesting under Sukhbir’s leadership. But when his son decided to fight on SAD ticket, Dhindsa did not campaign for him.
A day after Dhindsa exhibited his strength by organizing a workers’ meeting at his home town — Sangrur, SAD’s Barnala and Sangrur district in-charge, district presidents, circle presidents and even SGPC members hailing from the two districts came together in support of SAD president.
But Parminder Dhindsa neither came out in open to back his father, nor the party president even as both of them are now claiming his support.
With Parminder Dhindsa too maintaining a silence, now all eyes are on SAD’s protest dharna at Patiala on Saturday as he is party’s district in-charge and his participation in the sit-in or vice-versa would make things clear.
At earlier occasion, when Parminder has to chose between his father and the party, SAD legislator chose to the straddle the fence, and stayed away from the functions organized by both the factions on the occasion of SAD’s 99th foundation day — one organized by the party at the SGPC headquarters and another by his father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and splinter groups at a Chief Khalsa Diwan-run school.
As Dhindsa has already made clear his intentions of slugging it out with the party’s top leadership “while staying in the party”, the focus now is on Sukhbir Badal and the decision he is likely to take in the matter.
Maintaining that he did not consider as party president as his recent election as SAD chief was “undemocratic”, Dhindsa had also dared the party leadership to “expel” him.
Taking on Dhindsa, Akali leaders, including SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, Sangrur district president Iqbal Singh Jhunda, Barnala distruict president Kulwant Singh, former minister Baldev Singh Mann, and others, came out in Sukhbir’s support saying that he was elected in a democratic way and 90 percent of workers are with him.
Showing solidarity with Sukhbir, they even maintained that Dhindsa was not even the party member as he did not renew his membership this time, in fact, he did not play any role to boost party’s membership, and thus, he has no right to question the party chief.
SAD SAINIK WING ASKS DHINDSA NOT TO DAMAGE PARENT PARTY
Asking Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhinda not to damage his parent party with “illogical and intemperate statements”, SAD’s Sainik Wing on Friday reminded him of the various honours bestowed on him by the party.
Announcing its full faith in Sukhbir Badal’s presidentship, Sainik wing president Gurjinder Singh Sidhu said that from being the Transport Minister in Parkash Singh Badal’s government in 1977, Dhindsa had been nominated to Rajya Sabha in 1998 after losing 1997 assembly election and went on to become a Cabinet Minister in 2000. “Dhindsa was again nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2010 and 2016 after losing the parliamentary elections twice in a row,” he added.
“Former Chief Minister Badal had always given a preeminent place in the party to Dhindsa and stood with him even at the cost of parting ways with senior Akali leader and former Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala. Sardar Badal stood with the Dhindsa family through thick and thin and even groomed his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa to play an important role in the party as well as the government,” he said adding that even Dhindsa’s son-in-law was given the party ticket from Mohali.
Sidhu said Dhindsa’s announcement that he would work in tandem with the “self-styled Taksalis” was tantamount to playing to the designs of the Congress party which was supporting the Taksalis to weaken the SAD as well as Sikh institutions.
“This is not expected from a senior leader who been part of all decision making and has even seconded Sukhbir Badal’s name during the last two elections to the post of president of SAD,” he said.