In a sad turn of events for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) with the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha elections just a few months away, its expelled ‘taksali’ (traditional Akali) leaders on Sunday announced to float a parallel “Akali Dal”.
Within a month after the SAD, led by Sukhbir Badal, shown the door to three party stalwarts from Majha — sitting MP from Khadoor Sahib Ranjit Singh Brahampura, former MP Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala, former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, the trio has declared to form a “real” Akali Dal “based on the original constitution of 1920” with the required modifications.
The trio of Sekhwan, Ajnala and Brahmpura — powerhouse in Majha region — had also called upon the non-Akali parties, including the various Sikh organisations, expelled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Sukhpal Singh Khiara, and the Bains brothers, to join hands — indicating at the possible amalgamation of disgruntled or unhappy leaders from all political outfits into one.
The taksalis blamed the SAD president Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law MLA Bikram Majithia for “forcing” them for the move. “The move was necessitated as the SAD Badal suffered irreparable damage due to kartutan (wrongdoings) of Sukhbir and Majithia only,” said Brahmpura.
A veteran Akali leader once known as “Majhe Da Jarnail” for his popularity in the region, Brahmpura declared that the name of the new party and the future course of action regarding the impending parliamentary polls would be announced on December 14 — the day when the SAD was constituted way back in 1920 as the principal representative of the Sikh community.
“The new party will be based on the original constitution of Akali Dal, on which it was constituted in 1920. Though, that will be slightly tweaked to comply with the present circumstances and the prevailing situation,” said Brahmpura while addressing the media in Amritsar, along with Sekhwan and Dr Ajnala.
The trio declared that all other parties, “who believe in 1920 constitution, are welcome to join this new Akali Dal front”.
Brahmpura said that the title will be Shiromani Akali Dal at first place “with some suffix”, and “an important announcement will be made on December 14 when SAD was formed in 1920”.
Led by Brahmpura, the trio alleged that the people of Punjab had given power to SAD in 2007 and 2012, “but the family of Parkash Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia had grabbed the control of party and put their family interests above the interests of the people and Punjab...The Badal and Majithia families sold the interests of Sikh community to Congress which is responsible for the attack on Sri Harmandir Sahib and Akal Takht in 1984”.
Mincing no words, Brahmpura said: “Sukhbir and Majithia run the drug, land, mining and transport mafias and ruined the party and Punjab.” “When Badal and Majithia family saw the power is slipping out of their hand, they took the shelter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who was excommunicated from the Sikh panth. The Badals influenced the Akal Takht to exonerate Dera Chief so that he can help them to garner votes of Dera followers,” he said. Intensifying his attack, Brahmpura alleged that the Badal and Majithia families challenged the principles of Akal Takht, the temporal seat of Sikhs, and “allowed sacrilege of Guru Grnath Sahib by followers of Dera chief and ordered police firing on the Sikhs who were protesting against sacrilege at Bargari where two innocent youth were killed in the police firing”.
At the same time, Brahmpura and other rebel leaders present, apologised from the Sikh community “for not speaking in public against the anti-panthic activities of the Badal family” even though they raised issues in the party forums.
“Our conscience pricked us and we dared to stand for the Sikh cause,” said Brahmpura while stating that they would go to each and every Akali leader and worker to seek their support and revive the spirit of true Akali Dal.
The trio has been vocal about their stand against Sukhbir and Majithia questioning their working style while accusing them of “destroying” the reputation of SAD, Akal Takht and the SGPC, while not speaking even word against the senior Badal.
They, revolting against the party a day after veteran leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had resigned on September 30, declared that “all was not well within the party".