Strife within SAD deepens as party expels patron Dhindsa for 'anti-party' activities

Chandigarh: The strife within Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) deepened on Thursday with the party expelling its patron Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from its primary membership for, what it held, indulging in anti-party activities including taking on the leadership of leaders it had expelled on Tuesday.

For the record, SAD - which is the country’s second oldest party after Congress (being founded in 1920) - had expelled eight of its senior members including former Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur, former MP Prem Singh Chandumajra, former ministers Parminder Singh Dhindsa, Sikander Singh Maluka, Surjit Singh Rakhra, former MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Surinder Singh Thekedar and SAD president Sukhbir Badal’s political secretary Charanjit Singh Brar.

However, reacting to the expulsions, the party patron Dhindsa, had on Wednesday held that the party disciplinary committee did not have the authority to expel the leaders and this right lied with the working committee.

An SAD statement said on Thursday that a decision to expel Sukhdev Dhindsa was taken by the disciplinary committee which was presided over by its chairman Balwinder Singh Bhundur and included both the other two members – Maheshinder Singh Grewal and Gulzar Singh Ranike.

Briefing newspersons about the decision Thursday, Grewal said, “The committee was of the opinion that Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa was not upholding the honour of his post. He was not only issuing unauthorised statements but was also acting against the party’s constitutions." 

He said the disciplinary committee also took into account the various statements issued by him in the recent past as well as the manner in which he took on the leadership of the eight expelled party leaders on Tuesday.

He held that the expelled leaders were free to requisition a meeting of the working committee even as they asserted that 98% of the Working Committee members had reposed faith in the leadership of Sukhbir Badal. 

Grewal further clarified that the post of party patron was an honorary one and that the latter did not have any power to take any decision on behalf of the party.

He cited how Dhindsa did not find anything wrong with Sukhbir Badal’s conduct when he rejoined the party on March 5 this year but started questioning the latter’s leadership when his son Parminder Dhindsa was not given the party ticket from Sangrur.

On the role of another expelled leader – Prem Singh Chandumajra – Grewal said the latter had approved Operation Black Thunder as a cabinet minister in 1985 and had even hailed the “maafi” given to the Dera Sirsa head. 

He said for Chandumajra the party president was good till the latter acceded to all his demands including two assembly seats for his family and a Lok Sabha ticket for himself even though he had no natural right over the same.

It may be recalled that the SAD had suffered a revolt against party leadership by a group of senior leaders last month which came out in the open alleging that the leadership made several mistakes during its regime and the same was responsible for SAD’s drubbing in the recent elections.