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Sukhbir Badal offers to quit as SAD chief; Akalis say all should take blame
After the party’s debacle in the Punjab legislative assembly elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Badal on Monday offered to step down
After the party’s debacle in the Punjab legislative assembly elections, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday offered to step down.
“If you feel there was a lack of leadership, I am willing to resign from the post of party president,” Sukhbir reportedly told the party leadership during a core committee meeting held here to analyse the results of the polls.
However, party leaders reposed faith in Sukhbir and asked him to continue, as according to them the blame can’t be put entirely on him and all are responsible for the defeat. There were suggestions that the democratic system should be maintained in running the party and efforts be made to stop the erosion of the party’s “panthic” credentials.
Former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur and former ministers Daljit Singh Cheema, Sikandar Singh Maluka, Janmeja Singh Sekhon and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon supported Sukhbir as the party president.
Earlier, party patriarch Parkash Singh Badal, who chaired the meeting, asked the party leadership to take a decision on the leadership before starting to analyse the reasons for the rout and the way forward. “We will discuss all other matters later, first let me know in case you want a change in the leadership,” he told the party colleagues.
The SAD patriarch said that he bows his head before the people’s mandate and assured of continuing to fight for the state and the country.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Badal said, “I bow my head before the people’s mandate. After Emergency, we won all the seats. So, such things happen in politics. We’ll continue to fight for Punjab and the country.”
Badal said the party has faced such storms in the past, too, and recovered and it would emerge stronger again.
Badal, who remained five times CM and led the party as president for 13 years from 1995, lost on his home turf Lambi with a margin of 11,000 votes. Sukhbir, who took over in 2008, also lost his seat Jalalabad with a margin of 33,000 votes. Both lost to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidates in the assembly elections.
Former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra called upon the party to bring in a system of collective leadership by involving everyone in the decision-making process.
The leader said what hit the party hard was the farm agitation and a pre-poll alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) also impacted SAD’s interest adversely as on 20 seats on which BSP candidates contested, even SAD cadre shifted towards AAP. The leaders were of the opinion that after severing alliance with the BJP, they suffered in the kandi belt and urban areas of the state.
Former Vidhan Sabha speaker Charanjeet Singh Atwal said that party representative in the Narendra Modi cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur Badal took time in resigning in protest over the three farm laws, due to which the party’s image suffered.
It was decided to form a committee of senior party leaders to pinpoint the reasons for the party’s debacle. “A formal announcement for the constitution of the committee will be made on Tuesday,” said Cheema.
Senior SAD leader Tota Singh stayed away from the meeting as he reportedly is recovering from an ailment and Balwinder Singh Bhunder also could not attend as he has flown abroad for a family engagement.
The core committee passed a resolution welcoming people’s mandate in the February 20 state polls and thanked leaders and cadres who supported the party in the polls. In another resolution, SAD resolved to continue its fight for establishing federal structure in the country, and party would seek the appointment of Punjab cadre officers in the union territory, Chandigarh, as per fixed quota.
The way forward
Party leaders also resolved to focus on the upcoming Sangrur parliament byelections to be held within six months as incumbent MP Bhagwant Mann resigned on Monday and will take oath as Punjab chief minister on Wednesday. It was also decided that the party should also keep the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on mind as the polls are expected to be announced shortly.
Sukhbir to meet party cadres from tomorrow
According to party senior vice-president Harcharan Singh Bains, the deliberation to analyse poll mandate will continue on Tuesday with the party’s senior leaders. This will be followed by a meeting of the district presidents on March 16 and the next day party’s candidates in these elections will meet Sukhbir.
(With agency inputs)
