Even as the “trouble-hit” Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leadership is making all out efforts to target the Congress-led Punjab Government, the party suffered another blow on Tuesday with its sitting MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura resigning from all party posts.
Citing age-factor and health concerns, SAD’s senior vice-president and party MP from Khadoor Sahib relinquished all party posts — becoming SAD’s second senior party leader to do so within a month after Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
Dhindsa had also resigned as party secretary general and from its core committee on health grounds.
Brahmpura, who was a member of party's core committee, also declared that he would not contest the next Lok Sabha polls, but would complete the ongoing term.
“I am upset with the way the sacrilege incidents were handled by the previous SAD-BJP government,” said Brahmpura, accompanied by senior Akali leader Rattan Singh Ajnala.
Brahmpura, 81-year-old taksali (traditional Akali) leader, said that he would remain active in politics and continue to work as a member of the party, but without holding any office.
He also expressed anguish over the previous government's decision to pardon Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, now jailed in rape cases, in a blasphemy case in 2015.
Taking a jibe at his party's leadership, Brahmpura said that he was not as “important” a personality as Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia. “I am a simple and down to earth person,” he said adding that he would continue to serve the party “as a soldier”.
Without naming anyone, he said that the shortcomings in the party 's organisational set up led the party to restraint to just 13 seats.