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Day after summons, Sukhbir says will appear before Akal Takht
A day after being summoned by the Akal Takht jathedar to submit a written reply on allegations made by rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said he will appear before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
A day after being summoned by the Akal Takht jathedar to submit a written reply on allegations made by rebel Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders, party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday said he will appear before the highest temporal seat of Sikhs.
Sukhbir in a post on X said: “As a devout and humble Sikh, I submit myself to the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. As per the directions of Shri Akal Takht, I will present myself before the Takht in all humility and faith.”
Sukhbir didn’t disclose the date on which he would present himself before the Takht. According to the party’s senior leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Sukhbir is expected to reach Chandigarh on July 21 and subsequently would reach the Takht.
Akal Takht on Monday summoned Sukhbir and ordered him to appear before the highest Sikh temporal seat within 15 days with a written clarification on the allegations made by the rebel party leaders in an apology letter. The resolution passed during the meeting of the Sikh praesidium said: “As per the complaint received by Takht from some senior leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the SAD president did not act as per panthic sentiments. So, he has been asked to appear before Akal Takht Sahib in person with written clarification on these allegations”.
The rebel SAD leaders had appeared before the Akal Takht jathedar on July 1 and apologised for ‘four mistakes’ committed during the SAD-BJP government’s tenure between 2007 and 2017. The rebel leaders that appeared before Takht comprised former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former SGPC president Jagir Kaur, former ministers Surjit Singh Rakhra and Parminder Singh Dhindsa, besides Charanjit Singh Brar, Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, Bhai Manjit Singh and Gurpartap Singh Wadala.
The letter blamed the then SAD-BJP government for failing to punish perpetrators of the Bargari sacrilege and acting against police officials for the Kotkapura and Behbal Kalan firing incidents, allowing the appointment of controversial IPS officer Sumedh Singh Saini as the Punjab DGP, besides questioning revocation of the case registered against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim for the alleged ‘blasphemous act’ of imitating Guru Gobind Singh in 2007.
