The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday expelled senior party leader and SGPC member Harjinder Kaur for indulging in anti-party activities by supporting the BJP campaign in Chandigarh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The decision to expel her was taken by party’s secretary general Balwinder Singh Bhundur following a number of complaints from the SAD Chandigarh unit that Kaur was wilfully sabotaging the party in Chandigarh by unilaterally supporting the candidature of BJP candidate Sanjay Tandon.
A former Chandigarh mayor, Kaur has been a Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) member since 2011 and has also remained the chairman of the Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR).
When contacted, Kaur said, “I am shocked as I have given 30 years to the party and groomed it in Chandigarh. It is complete dictatorship by one person. I will remain an Akali forever.”
The secretary general said he had received video evidence of Kaur’s anti-party activities and was compelled to take this drastic step to send out a clear signal that the SAD will not tolerate such unethical conduct on the part of an SGPC member.
Bhundur said this was not the first time that Kaur had gone against the party’s principles. “Earlier also, we had received complaints that she had compromised with the BJP and had received important posts in lieu of extending support to the saffron party. However, we gave her a long rope with the hope that she will realise her mistakes and conduct, and return to the panthic fold wholeheartedly,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Bhundur said this was not the first time that Kaur had gone against the party’s principles. “Earlier also, we had received complaints that she had compromised with the BJP and had received important posts in lieu of extending support to the saffron party. However, we gave her a long rope with the hope that she will realise her mistakes and conduct, and return to the panthic fold wholeheartedly,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“However, this time, the SGPC member has crossed the line by openly campaigning for the BJP candidate in Chandigarh. By doing so, she has not only gone against the party, but also disrespected the sentiments of Punjabis as well as the Sikh community, who are aggrieved by the anti-farmer stand taken by the Union government as well as its refusal to release the Sikh prisoners who have completed their life sentences yet remain incarcerated in jail for more than two decades,” Bhundur added.
He said the decision to expel Kaur was taken after due consideration and consultation with the party’s Chandigarh unit. “The complainants as well as senior office-bearers unanimously urged me to take this step in the interest of the party and its supporters. I have received reports that the BJP is offering inducements to party leaders to switch sides during the ongoing elections.”