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Punjab: Veteran leader Dhindsa wanted a united Akali Dal, says Sukhbir
Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar says the Akali factions should unite by setting aside their differences; CM hails Sukhdev Dhindsa’s role in promoting sports
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said veteran leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who passed away on May 28 following age-related issues, had asked him to bring all the leaders of the regional party and “panth” together.
At the “antim ardas” ceremony in Sangrur, he said, “Just two days before passing away, Sukhdev Dhindsa had told him to gather the leadership and panth to serve the people. The message highlights the importance of a united leadership for the community’s future.”
On the occasion, leaders cutting across party lines gathered to pay their last respects.
Sukhbir said today’s leadership should learn from the determination and resilience shown by veterans, including Dhindsa. Terming veteran Dhindsa’s son Parminder Dhindsa as his younger brother, he recalled his tenure as the state finance minister during the SAD tenure.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the Akali factions should unite by setting aside their differences. “A strong panthic party is required not only for the state but also for the nation. It will be a true tribute to Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa,” he said. “It must also be kept in mind that due to internal differences, Punjab’s great heritage should not be usurped by others, lest the panth, the community and Punjab have to bear the consequences,” he stated.
Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann sent a condolence message to Dhindsa’s family, hailing the veteran leader’s role in promoting sports while being the Union sports minister.
Besides, leader of Opposition in state assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, BJP leader Tarun Chugh, former deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal, Simranjit Singh Maan, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, former Akal Takht jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra, Punjab cabinet minister Aman Arora, MP Gurjeet Aujla and others were present.
Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who breathed his last in a private hospital in Mohali on May 28 evening after a prolonged illness, was a Rajya Sabha MP from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2022. He became SAD’s Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur in 2004. He was the Union minister of sports, chemicals and fertilisers in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Notably, Dhindsa had in 2018 resigned from the SAD, alleging that the old leaders were being sidelined. In May 2021, Dhindsa and Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, also expelled from the SAD, floated a new outfit, Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) which contested the 2022 assembly polls in alliance with the BJP. Before the Lok Sabha elections, Dhindsa merged the party with Sukhbir Badal-led SAD in March 2024. In August 2024, the SAD again expelled Dhindsa from the primary membership for allegedly indulging in “anti-party” activities.
