The string of resignations, in the wake of holy book desecration incidents, continued on Monday with Shiromani Akali Dal’s senior leader Varinder Singh Bajwa quitting the party’s post of vice-president over the issue.
Bajwa, a former Rajya Sabha MP and party’s vice-president, announced his decision of resigning on Monday saying that he was “pained” at the recent developments concerning Sikh panth.
He said that he had resigned on the call of his conscience. Bajwa criticised the Sikh clergy for their decision of exonerating the Dera Sirsa chief saying that Gurmeet Ram Rahim “should not have been pardoned at any cost as he had shown disrespect to the great Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh by impersonating him”.
At the same time, he also demanded resignation of jathedars (head priests) of all the five takhts (temporal seats).
Meanwhile, SAD’s general council member Iqbal Singh Khera also announced his resignation from the party.