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Brahmpura sees BJP hand behind Dhindsa’s move, feels ‘betrayed’
Says he suggested Dhindsa to become SAD (Taksali) president, but got no reply
A day after a faction of dissident Akali leaders “elected” Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa as the SAD president, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD-Taksali) president and former MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura said he was seeing the BJP hand behind Dhindsa’s political move.
Dhindsa, along with his son and former state finance minister, was expelled from the SAD in February this year for “anti-party” activities. Dhindsa later joined hands with SAD (Taksali), which was formed by Brahmpura, Sekhwan and former MP Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala in December 2018.
“A few days ago, Dhindsa and Sewa Singh Sekhwan had come to me. I informed Dhindsa that there had been talks that he was going to form a new party. I suggested him take over the reins of the SAD-Taksali. I offered to step down as the party president. To this, Dhindsa said he would let me know his decision in a couple of days, but he didn’t reply. I think he has followed the instructions of his friends in New Delhi,” said Brahmpura, while talking to HT over phone.
“At a function in Ludhiana on Tuesday, the stage secretary was seen saying that I would also join the function, but he was lying. I am not with them. Dhindsa has betrayed me. I will expose him and his team in the coming days. People are saying that Dhindsa wants to make his son Parminder Punjab chief minister. I feel that he is being guided by the BJP’s central leadership, who are trying to increase their foothold in Punjab,” he said.
On Tuesday, the SAD had accused Dhindsa of acting at the behest of the Congress.
When asked why Dhindsa didn’t accept his offer to become SAD-Taksali president, Brahmpura said: “I have reports that Dhindsa is eying Hindu votes in Punjab and for this he would take BJP’s help. He even had a problem with the ‘Taksali’ word.”
He said he will not join Dhindsa, but will continue working for his party and its principals. “The party was formed after taking a pledge at the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. I and my supporters will continue working for the party and for the betterment of Punjab,” he said.
Lashing out on former minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan, who was present with Dhindsa at Tuesday’s function in Ludhiana, Brahmpura said: “Sekhwan has betrayed me. He didn’t even inform me that he was joining Dhindsa. The people of Punjab know how to deal with such leaders. He was in the forefront when our party was formed at the Akal Takht. He is a PO (proclaimed offender) of the people of Punjab.”
Brahmpura said it is his appeal to the people not to make any contact with Sekhwan, who has betrayed the Punjabis. Brahmpura also said his party will fight the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections as announced earlier. “The BJP-led Union government is deliberately delaying the SGPC elections,” he said.
Sekhwan, however, said: “As Brahmpura was not physically fit to lead the party, we had asked him to dissolve the party and constitute its new team, but he was unwilling to do so. Our repeated meetings with him proved futile and we were forced to elect Dhindsa our president. Brahmpura’s leadership was not accepted to the people as he failed to fulfil the ambition of the party for which it was made at Akal Takht.”
