SAD, radicals to hold political conferences on Rakhar Punya
The supporters of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will hold political conferences at Baba Bakala in Amritsar on August 19 to mark ‘Rakhar Punya’ a socio-religious event celebrated in the fervour in Majha belt of Punjab.
The supporters of jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will hold political conferences at Baba Bakala in Amritsar on August 19 to mark ‘Rakhar Punya’ a socio-religious event celebrated in the fervour in Majha belt of Punjab.
While this will be the first time that radical Sikh organisations will be holding a political conference, SAD’s event, a regular annual feature in the party’s calendar, will be addressed by its party president Sukhbir Singh Badal and other senior leaders.
Amritpal, 31, who is currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under National Security Act (NSA), used to organise several public meetings in Punjab but a political conference will be the first for his supporters. Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh is expected to address the gathering from the radicals’ stage.
The Monday event assumes significance for SAD, which is facing an existential crisis and witnessed almost a vertical divide last month with the expulsion of the party’s patron and senior most leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. SAD is eyeing this event as a chance to stay afloat in the perception among the Sikh masses, which is keenly following the moves by SAD and radicals.
SAD had also expelled eight leaders for anti-party activities, including former SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikandar Singh Maluka and Surjeet Singh Rakhra, former MLAs Gurpartap Singh Wadala and Surinder Singh Bhullewal Rathan and Badal’s political secretary Charanjit Singh Brar. Wadala has been made a convener by the rebels’ group. Rebels have asked Sukhbir to step down from the party’s top post after successive poll debacles starting from loss in the 2017 assembly elections and most recent being the Lok Sabha polls wherein the party got just one seat of Bathinda.
Rebels Akali leaders, who earlier had announced to hold a conference at Baba Bakala, have deferred their programme, however, according to Wadala, the leaders in his group will pay obeisance at Gurdwara at Baba Bakala built in memory of 10th master Guru Teg Bahadur.
The rebels were expected to join the conference organised by the radicals but according to Wadala so far there is no invitation from their side.
According to a supporter of Amritpal, efforts will be made that no old and established leaders from Akali Dal or the radical leaders active during the days of terrorism address the gathering.
“We are trying to bring in new leaders and speakers who would give opinions at the event, important for the region (Majha), Sikhs and the Akali politics,” said a close aide of Amritpal on the request of anonymity.
Meanwhile, SAD’s leader, Harcharan Singh Bains, said the party’s conference will be held outside the gurdwara premises.
“We are organising the political conference outside the Gurdwara Sahib like we have doing for many years,” Bains said, adding that the event is part of the party’s yearly itinerary.