CHANDIGARH: The new organizational setup of the Akali Dal announced, here, last week, has been out rightly, rejected by almost all the senior leaders while the party president, Parkash Singh Badal, has preferred not to comment.

The announcement was unilaterally made by the chairman of the three member unity subcommittee, Ashok ‘Singh Bagrian here, No senior Akali leader was present at the news conference.

Bagrian on June 5 clarified that his announcement was recommendatory in nature and not mandatory and the nine member unity committee was fully within its right to make any changes. Bagrian also happens to be the chairman of the nine member committee,

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president, Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who is also a member of the three members Akali unity panel and Jagdev Singh Talwandi, a member of the nine member unity panel, have out rightly rejected the new outfit.

The two leaders, at separate press conferences in Ludhiana, challenged the authority of Bagrian to constitute and announce these committees. They felt that this step was a part of some conspiracy to add confusion to the Akali affairs.

Asked if the unity convener had misused his powers, Tohra shot back saying that the question of abuse would have arisen only if they had any power. Talwandi, former president of the Akali Dal who was more angry over the issue, charged Bagrian with playing into the hands of antiSikh forces and betraying the Sikh community and the Akal Takht. He alleged that even his late father Ripudeman Singh Bagrian had been a today of the government of the day.

Manjit Singh, a member of the nine member unity panel, also rejected the new organizational setup and demanded that Bagrian be summoned by the Akal Takht jathedar, removed from the post and, punished for creating hurdles in the way of unity.

A former Akal Takhat jathedar, Jasvir Singh Rode, has also taken strong exception to the inclusion of his name and that of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s wife, Pritam Kaur, in the working panel constituted, on Sunday last.

Article extracted from this publication >>   June 9, 1995