E-Paper
106 SGPC members have pledged support to Sukhbir Badal, says party
SAD senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema said 106 members of the gurdwara body had pledged support to Sukhbir -- 93 members were physically present in meeting, six members were out of the country, five members could not come due to health reasons while two members were engaged in family affairs.
Amid rebellion by a faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)’s senior leadership, at least 93 members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) reached the party headquarters here on Tuesday to show their support to party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Talking to mediapersons after a meeting with SGPC members, the party’s senior vice-president Daljit Singh Cheema said 106 members of the gurdwara body had pledged support to Sukhbir -- 93 members were physically present in meeting, six members were out of the country, five members could not come due to health reasons while two members were engaged in family affairs.
Senior Akali leaders Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, his son former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, former ministers Sikandar Singh Maluka and Surjeet Singh Rakhra and former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala have raised a banner of revolt against Sukhbir, asking him to step down from the top post of the party. These leaders have announced to launch statewide ‘Akali Bachao lehar’.
During the meeting, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami and former president Kirpal Singh Badungar were also present. The preparation of voter lists for the SGPC elections was also taken up, sources revealed.
Besides this, the members expressed concern over recent incidents wherein two baptised Sikh women were reportedly disallowed to take the Rajasthan judicial services examination for wearing articles of faith, and the alleged thrashing of Sikh youths in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
Later, lashing out at rebels, Cheema said that Surjit Kaur’s move of joining AAP had shown that rebel leaders were only interested in defaming the SAD and had no intention of contesting elections. On other hand, he said, the party was serious about the issue and thus had decided to support to BSP during the Jalandhar West bypoll.
The SGPC general house has 185 elected members and six clergymen. At least 32 members have passed away.
