In battle of principles, I stand by my father: Parminder Dhindsa

Says he quit under no pressure, agrees with his father that appointment of Sukhbir Singh Badal as party chief and Sharanjit Dhillon as leader in the state assembly was done in an autocratic manner

Days after he resigned as Shiromani Akali Dal leader in the state assembly, Parminder Singh Dhindsa on Sunday said that his father Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, a veteran SAD leader and Rajya Sabha member, has raised valid issues for party’s revival and he stands by his father in his ‘battle of principles’.

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“I have not resigned under any pressure and the decision was taken after much thought. My father has taken a stance to revive the lost glory of the party. He is doing efforts and I strongly stand by him. We will work for the party,” he said while addressing the media.

On Sunday, the SAD MLA first met his supporters in Lehra town and held a meeting with party workers at his Sangrur residence in the evening.

When asked about the reason behind his resignation, he said, “The issues raised by Dhindsa ji, to make party strong, also apply on me. However, I have not quit the party. We are in the party; the SAD has given us a lot as I have been elected as an MLA five times and served as a minister for 10 years. Also, it is our duty to make party stronger.”

Claiming that their fight is not against a person, Parminder said he supports his father in his opposition to the autocratic appointment of Sukhbir Singh Badal as party chief and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon as leader in the state assembly.

“When Sukhbir was re-elected as SAD president, I was not present there, but as Dhindsa ji has said, proper system was not followed. Leader of the party MLAs in the assembly too is elected by the members in a democratic way,” the five-time MLA said.

On his next plan and the dilemma due to two groups in SAD, Dhindsa Jr said, “There are multiple issues. Dhindsa ji is preparing an agenda after discussing it with senior leaders. We will follow that to strengthen the party. However, the main issue is battle of principles.”

Local leaders Gurbachan Singh Bachi, Sukhwant Singh Sraon, Rampal Singh Behnipal, Malkit Singh Changal, Hardev Singh Rogla, among others, attended the meeting.

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Dhindsa will regret his decision: Sharanjit Dhillon

Jalandhar: The newly appointed leader of Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the Punjab assembly, Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, on Sunday attacked the Rajya Sabha MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa for going against the party and “forcing his son to quit the Akali Dal”.

Addressing mediapersons here, Dhillon, who was accompanied by Akali MLAs from Doaba region, said, “Sukhdev Dhindsa will regret his decision. He has not only ended his political career but also forced his son to follow his footsteps. He will realise his mistake soon.”

He said two-time state finance minister Parminder Dhindsa was a loyal Akali and never wanted to leave the party. “He’s just quit because of his father’s pressure and as a good son, he obeyed his father’s directions, which is a political murder,” he said.

Dhillon said whoever left his mother party has never excelled. “This would happen to Dhindsa as well as he has forgotten what the party and former CM Parkash Singh Badal has done for him.”

He also condemned the attack on Nankana Sahib. He welcomed the CAA but asked the Union government to also include Muslims in the list of migrants.