Proved to be a troublemaker for the ruling regime, especially the Shiromani Akali Dal, in the recent past, Punjab’s firebrand Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia has decided to resign as the party’s youth wing president.
In Jalandhar for the prize distribution ceremony of 49th Punjab State Shooting Championship at the PAP grounds on Friday, Majithia offered to resign from the post of Youth Akali Dal president.
“I am ready to quit the post of Shiromani Akali Dal youth wing chief as I do not want to hold too many positions…The post of the Youth Akali Dal president is a huge responsibility. I am representing the government in the Council of Ministers, besides being the president of the Punjab Rifle Association. I do not want to occupy too many posts,” he told the reporters.
Majithia said that he has informed Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who is also SAD president in this regard, and the YAD would get a new president soon.
38-year-old Majithia became the president of YAD in mid-2011.
As of now, all the organisational structures of the Shiromani Akali Dal have been dissolved following party’s dissatisfactory performance in the lok Sabha polls. The party, in its exercise had decided to restructure all the units.
“Besides holding so many positions, Majithia wants the lower rung of the party to come forward and take charge…he is already 38…and wants young people to come forward,” said a senior SAD member.
He said that as of now, all the units of the party had to be to be restructured and he should be “relieved” from the responsibility.
Bikram, who is the brother-in-law of Sukhbir Singh Badal and younger brother of Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, holds the portfolios of Revenue and Rehabilitation, Renewable Energy and Public Relations.
He was first elected to the Punjab Assembly in 2007 from Majitha and again in 2012 from same Assembly constituency.
Bikram had stoked a controversy during the lok Sabha elections this year when he allegedly distorted the sacred hymn “Gurbani” while canvassing for BJP’s Amritsar candidate Arun Jaitley. He later apologised for it before the Akal Takht.
Surfacing of his name in the multi-crore drug trafficking has also turned out to be a major embarrassment to the SAD-BJP alliance Government.