Wadala to be convener as SAD rebels firm up plans to revive party
SAD rebel group forms panel led by Gurpartap Singh Wadala to revitalize party. Plans include outreach to Sikh masses, rallies, and honoring past leaders.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rebel group has decided to constitute a seven-member panel led by former legislator Gurpartap Singh Wadala to lead its affairs.
An eleven-member advisory group will also be constituted to guide the convener and his team.
The decision in this regard was taken in a meeting held in Jalandhar two days ago. The formal announcement is likely to come after the Jalandhar West bypoll scheduled to be held on July 10.
“The party is facing a big challenge. We need to revive the party and bring it back into prominence. We are making all the efforts. Wadala’s name was discussed in the informal meeting to lead our efforts to resuscitate the party. Discussions are still on and we will make an announcement soon,” a rebel Akali leader, pleading anonymity said.
After the announcement, the rebels are also expected to announce its programmes, including outreach to Sikh masses and holding rallies to mark the birth and death anniversaries of prominent Akali leaders to placate the party’s core panthic constituency.
“We are expecting SAD candidate Surjit Kaur to do well in the bypoll. She was disowned by the party leadership which later announced its support to the BSP candidate. We are supporting Kaur and we think she will do better than expected,” the rebel leader quoted above added.
Apart from trying to reconnect with Sikh masses, the rebels also plan to hold rallies to mark the death anniversary of the party’s former president Harchand Singh Longowal on August 20 and celebrate the birth centenary of former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra in September. “We plan to remember all our senior leaders who have given blood and sweat for the party,” the rebel leader said.
Rebel leaders including former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) Bibi Jagir Kaur, former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikandar Singh Maluka, Surjeet Singh Rakhra, and party’s senior-most leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa met last month and announced several steps to pull the party out the ebb. On July 1, the rebels also approached Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh, seeking penance for the mistakes committed during the SAD-led Akali-BJP government during its two tenures between 2007 and 2017. So far jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh has not responded to the rebels’ request.
Since SAD’s below-par performance in the 2017 state polls, a section of leaders have been demanding a change of guard at the helm. What prompted the rebels to come together again was the results of the recently concluded Parliamentary elections held on June 1. The Akali Dal could win one seat and lost deposits in 10 constituencies. The party’s vote share also plummeted to 13.5% from 18.5% in 2022 state assembly polls in which the party won three seats out of 117 in the state assembly.
The rebels have asked president Sukhbir Singh Badal to step down and work for the party as a worker. However, Sukhbir has doubled his efforts to keep the flock intact. He has held meetings with party workers, leaders, the working committee, the party’s frontal organisations and SGPC members.
“There is no issue as to who would lead the efforts to bring the party back and make it an important political force in the state as it used to be in its glorious past,” Wadala said.
“There is no denying the fact that our party is facing an existential crisis and all of us, cutting across the factions and groups, have to work hard, for which we are making efforts and are inviting everyone to join us,” he added.