Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders on Sunday performed ‘sewa’ (voluntarily service) for the second consecutive day at the Golden Temple as penance for what they have termed “inadvertent mistakes” they made during the party’s 10-year rule in Punjab.
SAD patriarch and former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal along with party president Sukhbir Singh Badal, his wife and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, former minister Bikram Singh Majithia and other senior leaders attended ‘ardas’ (prayer) at Gurdwara Baba Gurbakhsh Singh near the Akal Takht.
Office-bearers of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), who are seen as having no affiliation with any political party, also joined the sewa. The ‘path’ that started on Saturday will conclude on Monday.
Badal spent nearly 10 minutes dusting and polishing shoes of devotees in ‘joda ghar’ (shoe store).
Accompanied by SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, former minister Daljit Singh Cheema and other apex gurdwara body members, Sukhbir spent an hour each in ‘joda ghar’ and langar hall. He also listened to ‘kirtan’ inside the sanctum sanctorum in the evening.
Harsimrat also cleaned and polished shoes, while Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the party’s women wing, rolled out ‘chapattis’ in the langar hall.
{{/usCountry}}Harsimrat also cleaned and polished shoes, while Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the party’s women wing, rolled out ‘chapattis’ in the langar hall.
{{/usCountry}}Asked aout the CM Amarinder Singh’s remark about the sewa they are performing, Badal said he is not answerable to him.
Besides Longowal, SGPC chief secretary Roop Singh and secretary Manjit Singh Batth cleaned utensils used by the devotees for partaking of langar.
In the langar hall, former state minister and senior party leader Gulzar Singh Ranike faced protest by a man, who identified himself as Nirmal Singh and district manager of the Punjab Scheduled Caste Welfare Board. The man started levelling allegations of corruption against Ranike whose supporters dispersed him.
Addressing a gathering of his supporters at Bharowal village in Tarn Taran district, Khadoor Sahib MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, who was expelled from SAD for raising a banner of revolt against Sukhbir, said the Badal family is trying to mislead the people of Punjab but they will not succeed in their designs. “It is nothing but pakhand (duplicity),” he said.
The meeting was held to mobilise support for the rebel leaders’ plan of floating a new party on December 16.
Another rebel leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan also targeted the Badals addressing the meetings of supporters in Gurdaspur district.