Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday constituted a 24-member advisory board to guide him on Panthic (Sikh community) issues.
Also read: Pushed to margin, SAD woos fringe to win back faith
The move is being seen as the SAD’s bid to retrieve lost political ground following the backlash of the 2015 sacrilege incidents and win over its core Sikh constituency in Punjab
The members of the board include Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, SAD secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhundar, former SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC presidents Kirpal Singh Badungar and Gobind Singh Longowal.
Besides SAD Delhi unit head Paramjit Singh Sarna, former ministers Gulzar Singh Ranike and Daljit Singh Cheema as member secretary, Alwinder Singh Pakhoke, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Virsa Singh Valtoha, Bhai Manjit Singh, Bhai Ram Singh, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, Rajinder Singh Mehta, Amarjeet Singh Chawla, Karnail Singh Peermohammad, Kiranjot Kaur, Harjinder Kaur, Ranjit Kaur, Buta Singh, Jagjit Singh Talwandi, Pritpal Singh Pali and Baba Tek Singh Dhanoula are on the advisory board.
Last year, the SAD president had announced that he would be constituting advisory panels to assist him in managing party affairs.
{{/usCountry}}Last year, the SAD president had announced that he would be constituting advisory panels to assist him in managing party affairs.
{{/usCountry}}Sukhbir constituted a committee to advise him on matters related trade and industry last week.
Experts see a void in the religio-political space in Punjab after the SAD’s defeat in successive assembly elections. Ashutosh Kumar, the head of the political science department at Panjab University, Chandigarh, says the SAD has lost its core social constituency and its president is forced to go back to issues of Sikhs in a desperate move. “But Sukhbir needs to bring in collective leadership and move away from dynasty politics because the core Akali ideology is vibrant internal democracy where everyone has a role to play,” he says.