Denial of ticket to son: Sulking Dhindsa to decide next move after meeting supporters
Upset over denial of ticket to his son from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said on Thursday that he will hold a meeting with his supporters in Sangrur on Saturday on his next move
Chandigarh : Upset over denial of ticket to his son from the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said on Thursday that he will hold a meeting with his supporters in Sangrur on Saturday on his next move.
On April 13, the SAD announced its first list of seven candidates for the LS polls, naming senior leader Iqbal Singh Jhundan as its nominee from Sangrur.
Dhindsa and his son, former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, were welcomed into the party fold by SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal after a gap of four years last month. On his return, Dhindsa was given the overarching role of patron of the party, but he was not consulted over the choice of party candidates.
“What’s the point in making me patron if I am not consulted on matters of the party. I was given an assurance that I will be consulted on all matters related to Sangrur,” said Dhindsa, adding that he will meet his supporters, who are upset over denial of ticket to Parminder, in Sangrur on Saturday to chalk out further course of action.
On Wednesday, Dhindsa met his close aides, including former ministers, ex-MLAs and more than 10 sitting and former members of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Dhindsa refused to comment on the outcome of the meeting and said he wanted to hear his supporters and workers first.
Principal adviser to SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal Harcharan Bains said it was made clear to Dhindsas that Jhundan will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Sangrur, the claim denied by the Dhindsa camp.
Replying to a query over denial of ticket to Parminder, party chief Sukhbir Singh badal, who was in Ludhiana on Thursday said: ‘We are a family, and I respect him a lot. I don’t want to make a comment on the issue.”
In 2019, Dhindsa and Parminder were suspended from the SAD for speaking against the top leadership over party’s poor show in the 2017 assembly elections. He formed a splinter Akali faction SAD (Sanyukt) and contested the 2022 state polls in alliance with the BJP but could not win a single seat.