Rajya Sabha member Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and former Khadur Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura on Monday announced the merger of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) splinter groups they had been heading.
The two leaders, who had launched the SAD (Democratic) and the SAD (Taksali) after they were expelled from the Badals-led Akali Dal for raising a banner of revolt against the party leadership, said the name of the new outfit will be declared soon.
At a press conference in Chandigarh, they said a six-member ‘ekta committee’ was formed to hold discussions with like-minded people. Committee spokesperson Karnail Singh Peermohammad termed coming together of the two senior leaders as an important political development. “This will have an impact on the results of the Punjab assembly polls scheduled in 2022. We will also contest the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections if held before the state elections,” he said.
The organisational structure of the new outfit will be announced in the first week of May, he added.
In February 2020, Dhindsa along with his MLA son and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa were expelled from the SAD after he held party president Sukhbir Singh Badal responsible for the 2017 assembly poll debacle besides being unable to handle the sacrilege incidents during the SAD-BJP government.
{{/usCountry}}In February 2020, Dhindsa along with his MLA son and former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa were expelled from the SAD after he held party president Sukhbir Singh Badal responsible for the 2017 assembly poll debacle besides being unable to handle the sacrilege incidents during the SAD-BJP government.
{{/usCountry}}Brahmpura and his son Ravinder Brahmpura were expelled from SAD in November 2018.
Dhindsa appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to accept the demands of farmers who have been agitating against the three agriculture reform laws for several months. He accused Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and the Badals of playing a friendly match, saying it was the state that was suffering due to this. He said Amarinder had big promises ahead of the 2017 state polls but failed to deliver on any of them.
Besides Brahmpura and Dhindsa, Ujagar Singh Badali, Mahinder Singh Hussainpur, Jagdish Singh Garcha, Ranjit Singh Talwandi and Shinderpal Singh Brar were among those present.