{7-member panel} Derecognition of party: SAD leaders ‘misleading’ community, says rebel group after meeting jathedar
The seven-member Akal Takht panel was constituted by the highest Sikh temporal seat on December 2 to supervise the recruitment drive and hold elections of the president and other office-bearers in six months.
Rebel Akalis on Thursday claimed that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders had made a “false” statement that Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh was convinced by their viewpoint that the implementation of the seven-member panel to supervise party’s recruitment drive and hold elections of the president and other office-bearers within six months will lead the party into legal trouble and he allowed them to act as per the party constitution.

Addressing the media after meeting Giani Raghbir Singh on Thursday, rebel leaders led by Gurpartap Singh Wadala said: “The Sukhbir Singh Badal group is misleading the community by making baseless statements that the implementation of Akal Takht directive would lead to the derecognition of the party by the Election Commission of India.”
The seven-member Akal Takht panel was constituted by the highest Sikh temporal seat on December 2. During a meeting of the working committee, which was held on January 10, the SAD had announced the membership drive under the supervision of its own working committee instead of the Akal Takht panel. Under the working committee, a panel was constituted during the meeting to oversee the membership drive and the election of the president.
Of these, five are members of the Akal Takht-constituted committee. These are former SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, SAD legislative party leader Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpur and Iqbal Singh Jhudan.
The Akal Takht-constituted committee had named Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Bibi Satwant Kaur, an official of the SGPC. The two, however, were not included in the SAD panel.
With objections over the move of the SAD, Wadala, Umaidpur, Jaswant Singh Tur, SGPC members Manjit Singh and Kiranjot Kaur called on the jathedar. They said they met the jathedar to seek clarity from him on the issue.
After the meeting, Wadala, who led the now dissolved rebel group, Akali Dal Sudhar Lehar, said, “When a delegation of Sukhbir Badal camp met the jathedar on December 7, their leader Daljit Singh Cheema told the media that he (jathedar) had been convinced by their viewpoint that the implementation of the 7-member Akal Takht panel will lead the party into a legal trouble and he (jathedar) allowed them to act as per the party constitution. When we urged the jathedar to disclose the truth regarding their claim, he said it is a blatant lie that he allowed them to carry out the recruitment drive and hold elections as per their own. He reiterated that the 7-member committee still stands”.
“The Badal group is misleading the community on derecognition of the party by the Election Commission of India. All the legal experts, including Manjit Singh Khaira and senior lawyer HS Phoolka, have also stated that there is no danger to the party”, he said.
Wadala said, “The committee that was constituted by the Akal Takht is not of any particular faction but a panel of the entire panth, which is supposed to act without any partiality and discrimination while reorganising the party. The jathedar asked us to approach Harjinder Singh Dhami to initiate working of the committee. We will urge him to carry out the membership drive”.
